Life Goes On: Just Like Us
by Lissical
Summary: Fifth story in the Life Goes On series. The summary is inside! FINAL CHAPTER NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Just Like Us**

**Author: Lisa (Lissical)**

**Summary: This is the sequel to Raising Kids is Hard to Do. It's 3 years later. What are the Bolton's up to?**

**Special Thanks: I have to thank XxSharpay EvansxX for this idea. It just made a lot more sense for me to write about the kids being a lot younger. So…here goes and thank you to EVERYONE for sticking with me through this. **

**A/N: Ages of the kids! I almost forgot that part. **

**Larissa: 9**

**Ana: 7**

**Kayleigh and Zachary: 5**

**Katie and Theresa: 11**

**Michael: 6**

**Angela: 3 ½ and Madison: 3 **

**Disclaimer: I only own the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 1**_

Larissa took her final bow on the stage. She had just finished her run in the show "The Sound of Music." She never would have thought that she would love community theatre as much as she did. And yet, this was her fourth show with the Albuquerque Players ((yes, I made that up)) and she was playing the part of Marta, the second youngest daughter in the Von Trapp family. As she looked into the audience, she saw her parents, her two sisters, and her brother, all smiling.

"That was wonderful," Sharpay said when she saw Larissa come out into the auditorium having changed back into her regular clothes. "Honey I am so proud of you!" She hugged her tightly.

"Thanks mom," she said with a smile. She looked at Ana who seemed to be bored out of her mind. "What did you think, Ana?"

Ana, who was now able to speak much more clearly and was a little more comfortable in crowds, looked at her sister, "I guess you did all right."

"Ana," Troy said to her, "That wasn't very nice."

She shrugged, "What? She asked me what I thought, daddy." For a 7 year old, Ana was a little too blunt and had developed an attitude that Troy did not like, nor did Sharpay for that matter, even though she was a lot like Ana when she was her age. Sharpay wasn't about to allow her children to become just like her, attitude wise anyway.

Troy sighed and looked at Larissa, "You did a wonderful job sweetie." He hugged her and kissed her head.

"Thanks dad," she said, eyeing her sister.

"That was really good, Larissa," Kayleigh said, bouncing up and down. She loved what Larissa was doing, but was very shy and couldn't bring herself to confess that she loved acting too, even though she had never done it before.

"Thank you, Kayleigh." She smiled. "Oh mom, the director, Claire, said she is going to have an acting workshop…you know, classes. Can I be in it, please?" She gave her mom her best puppy dog face.

Sharpay smiled, "I suppose, if you'd like to, since you really seem to like acting…" She looked over at Troy, "What do you think?"

He nodded, "Sure; if this is something you really want to do that is."

She nodded her head vigorously. "Yes! It is, daddy."

He looked at Sharpay, "Well, I guess we could try…"

"Thank you!" She wrapped her arms around him and then went to hug her mom.

"Yeah, yeah, can we go now, please," Ana asked, becoming more bored by the second.

Zachary nodded, "Yeah, I want to play basketball," he said. They had recently put a basketball hoop over the garage, thus allowing Zachary (and Troy of course) to put the ball in the basket a few times. Zachary was getting pretty good at it too.

Sharpay sighed, "Yes, we can go now. Larissa do you have everything?"

"Yeah, I think so." She looked over at Kayleigh who seemed to be looking longingly at the stage. "Um actually I'll be another minute," she said as she took her youngest sister aside. "Hey, are you all right?"

She nodded, "Yeah…I'm fine," she said, not wanting to tell her sister, let alone her parents that she wanted to act.

"Okay," Larissa said, not believing her. She was going to let it go…for now. "Now I'm ready," she said, pushing past Ana and Zach.

"Diva," Ana muttered to herself.

Zachary snickered at the comment, completely agreeing with his sister.

They walked out to the car and went home; Larissa was thinking about the acting classes that she would soon be enrolled in; Ana was thinking about what she had done earlier that day: she made a basket for the first time; Zachary couldn't stop thinking about basketball; and Kayleigh just looked at Larissa, wishing she could tell her sister that she wanted to act as well.

Troy and Sharpay looked at one another, happy that things seemed to be working out for each of their children…

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**Okay so that's chapter one! I hope you liked it; it was more of a preview of what each child is currently interested in. And thank you again to XxSharpay EvansxX for giving me the idea to write this. And thank you to all of you who have been reading the series so far. You're the best! Please review! And remember, suggestions are welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**All right, here is chapter 2! I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

**A/N: I forgot to tell you that it's winter and what grades the kids are in. Larissa: 4th grade; Ana: 2nd grade; Kayleigh and Zachary: Kindergarten. **

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 2**_

**Same Night; At Home…**

"All right, it's time for everyone to go upstairs and get ready for bed," Sharpay said as they walked into the house.

"Okay, night mom," Ana said as she yawned and walked upstairs to her room; which she now shared with Kayleigh.

Larissa followed Ana upstairs and stopped her before she got to her room, "Why were you acting like that?"

Ana turned around to face her sister, "Acting like what; you were in the play, big whoop," she said as she turned and walked to her room, leaving a dumbfounded Larissa in the hall.

"I think she did good," Kayleigh said, overhearing the conversation between her sisters.

Sharpay walked upstairs, "Come on girls, time to get ready for bed." She looked at Kayleigh who looked rather glum. "Kayleigh, are you okay?"

She looked up at her mom, "I'm fine," she said as she changed into her pajamas.

"Are you sure? You were awfully quiet on the way home."

Kayleigh nodded, "Yes, I am sure." She walked out of the room and into the bathroom to brush her teeth; Larissa was already in there, doing the same thing. "Hi," she said softly as she grabbed her toothbrush.

Larissa looked over at her, "Hi; so I heard you in the car," she said, referring to Kayleigh's humming one of the songs from "The Sound of Music."

She looked up, blushing, "Oh…the song was in my head." She was about to start brushing her teeth when Larissa stopped her.

"Kayleigh, I've known you for…well your whole life. I know when something is bothering you, and I can tell that it is now. So what's wrong," she asked, turning to face her sister.

Kayleigh shook her head, "Nothing…I just…I don't know…" She couldn't bring herself to tell Larissa, the sister whom she looked up to the most, how much she wanted to do the same thing as her.

Larissa smiled, "You want to be up on stage, don't you?"

Kayleigh's face turned to that of shock. How did she know? "Uh…well…"

"You should audition for the school play coming up. I think they're doing "Alice in Wonderland" or something." She smiled.

She shook her head, "No, I can't." She brushed her teeth and hurried back to her room and climbed into bed so quickly that she didn't see her mom in the room.

Sharpay walked over to her bed and sat down, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Kayleigh said quickly, hoping her mom would stop asking questions.

She sighed, "I don't believe you; come on, what's wrong, Kayleigh?"

Kayleigh sat up, "I…I want to be like Larissa," she said quietly.

Ana laughed, "Oh please; you couldn't be like her even if you wanted to," she said.

Sharpay stood up and walked over to Ana, "That is enough, young lady. One more comment like that and your computer privileges are gone…do you understand?"

She nodded, "Fine."

"She's right," Kayleigh said, tears in her eyes. "I can never be like Larissa…I'll never be able to do it!" She pulled the covers over her head.

Troy walked into the room, "Honey, Larissa wants to talk to you," he said to Sharpay.

She nodded, "All right," she said, trying to get Kayleigh to pull the covers down. She got up and walked out of the room.

Troy walked over to Kayleigh, "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," she said. "I am going to sleep. Goodnight." She reached up and turned off the lamp that was on the nightstand beside her bed.

Troy looked over at Ana who shrugged. He kissed Kayleigh's forehead and walked over to Ana and helped her into bed, "Make sure you get a good night's sleep; you have soccer tryouts tomorrow," he said with a smile. **(Yes, winter is probably not when soccer tryouts are, but it's New Mexico and the climate is different…plus I couldn't think of another sport that a 7 year old could play…other than basketball, but aren't those tryouts in the fall?)**

"I know; I'm going to make the team," she said with a smile. "Night, daddy."

"Goodnight." He kissed her forehead and walked out of the room, wishing he knew what was bothering Kayleigh.

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**Monday Morning…**

Kayleigh walked downstairs, humming a song from "Sleeping Beauty." As she walked into the kitchen, she started to sing the words, not knowing that her family could hear her.

"I know you  
I walked with you once upon a dream.  
I know you  
The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam  
Yes, I know it's true  
that visions are seldom all they seem  
But if I know you, I know what you'll do  
You'll love me at once  
the way you did once upon a dream"

Sharpay smiled, "Wow that was…great honey," she said, surprised that her 5 year old daughter could sing; she had never heard her before.

Kayleigh stopped, realizing what she was doing, "Uh…thank you? I watched the movie the other day and remembered the song," she said in one breath.

Ana looked at her, "Yeah well you stink."

"Anastasia Marie Bolton, that is enough," Troy said as he walked into the kitchen.

Kayleigh walked to the table and put her head in her arms, which were on the table and tried to hide the fact that she was crying.

Sharpay sighed, "Okay, we need to get going, so everyone get your lunches and let's go please." She looked at Ana, "And if you say one more negative comment to your sister, you will not be trying out for the soccer team, got it?"

She nodded, "Yes, mom." She took her lunch and headed out to the car.

Larissa walked over to Kayleigh, "Come on, it's time to go."

She shook her head, "Why is she so mean," she asked, wiping her eyes.

Larissa shrugged, "I don't know, but if I were you, I'd ignore it…she did it to me all the time and when I started ignoring her, she backed off." She took her hand, "Come on, let's go…oh and tryouts for the play are today," she said with a smile.

Zachary walked past the two, "She'll puke before she even gets up there," he said, sticking his tongue out at Kayleigh. ((Remember, they're 5))

"Get in the car, now," Sharpay said, taking his hand and walking him into the garage.

Larissa rolled her eyes, "Boys." She walked Kayleigh out to the car and helped her get settled. "You really should tryout," she whispered.

Once at school, Larissa was about to walk to her classroom when Kayleigh stopped her, "If I tryout…are you going to be there?"

She smiled, "Well duh," she said with a wink. "And mom will be there too; she comes to every audition I have, so you'll have at least two people supporting you." She paused. "Do you have a song picked out?"

"I like the one from 'Sleeping Beauty,'" she said with a small grin.

Larissa nodded, "Okay, go with that." She flashed one more smile before walking down the hall to her class.

Kayleigh now had more confidence. As long as Larissa was going to be there, she knew she would be able to at least try.

"Good luck…but just remember the last time you were up on stage," Zachary said. "You were supposed to be one of the vegetables in the Thanksgiving play…remember what you did?" He paused and then laughed, "You choked…literally!" He pretended to gag and laughed as he walked into the classroom.

Kayleigh wanted to clobber him with something, but she was too shaky to do anything. Would she be able to audition?

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**Okay, so I put a miniature cliffhanger there. So do you think Kayleigh will have the confidence to tryout? And what do you think about Ana and Zach? And Larissa for that matter? Oh, and don't worry; I have Troy and Sharpay romance coming up, LOL. Suggestions are welcome and thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! They mean the world to me, they really do. **

**A/N: Okay, it has been pointed out to me (and rightly so) that I am writing the kids as being too old for their ages, LOL. Thank you, XxSharpay EvansxX for pointing that out to me. So, if the kids suddenly start acting 'younger' than they have been in the previous two chapters, it's because they're acting how a typical 9 year old, 7 year old, and 5 year old would act. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the made up characters; everything else is Disney's.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 3**_

**After School…**

Ana hurried out of her classroom as the final bell rang and opened up her backpack to get her change of clothes out for soccer tryouts ((yes, I know, soccer is in the fall, lol)). After finding all of her clothes, she went into the bathroom and changed as fast as she could…it only took 10 minutes this time; she had forgotten to untie her shoes and then forgot how to retie them; she was rather nervous. She finally finished getting dressed and walked into the gym where everyone who wanted to tryout was meeting. As she looked around her, she saw that she was the youngest one there; everyone else was in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade…Ana was in 2nd grade. Her anxiety started to kick in once again; that is until she saw her dad and brother walk into the gym. She smiled and walked over to her dad.

"I'm the youngest one," she said, frowning.

He patted her back, "Hey, you'll do just fine, okay? Just remember what I showed you at home, all right? And your brother is here to support you." Troy looked over at Zach who was playing with the zipper on his jacket. "Well, he's here, let's put it that way," he said, trying to reassure her.

She nodded, "Okay daddy." She gave him a hug before going back to where she was supposed to be in the gym. The tryouts would have been outside, had it not been raining all afternoon.

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Kayleigh walked out of her class and saw her mom waiting for her. "Mommy!" She ran into her arms and hugged her. "Mommy I want to tryout," she said as she broke the hug.

Sharpay smiled, "I'm very proud of you, honey," she said as she picked her up and walked down the hall to the auditorium with her.

She smiled, "What about Larissa," she asked as they passed her classroom.

"She's already there," Sharpay said. "I told her that I would meet her there after getting you." They walked into the auditorium where Sharpay set her youngest daughter down, expecting her to fly to the front of the room. Instead, Kayleigh stayed back by her mom, burying her head into her shirt.

"I don't want to do it," she said, seeing all of the other children, many of whom were older than she was.

"Honey, you'll do great; just sing the song that you said that you were going to sing," Sharpay said, hoping she made sense.

Larissa saw her mom and walked over to her, "I'm going to sing 'Beauty and the Beast' from the movie," she said with a small smile.

Sharpay smiled, "That's a great song for you, sweetie; but why do you look like you're not too happy about it?"

"I'm…scared," she said, looking over at the other kids. "What if I don't do as good this time?"

"It's 'as well,' and I'm sure you'll do great, honey. Remember, just have faith." Sharpay gave her a reassuring smile.

Kayleigh tugged at her mom's shirt, "Mommy I can't do it," she said, her face starting to turn a shade of green.

"Uh oh," Sharpay muttered to herself. "Larissa, you stay here, I'll be right back," she said, picking Kayleigh up and rushing her to the bathroom.

Larissa rolled her eyes, "Now she's going to miss me audition," she said to herself, crossing her arms. "They always get the attention." She sat down and pouted.

As soon as Kayleigh was finished, she started to cry, "I got a nervous tummy," she said through her tears.

"Shh, it's okay," Sharpay said, comforting her daughter. "Does it feel a little better now?"

She nodded, "Uh huh, but I'm still scared." She wrapped her arms around her mom.

"Why don't we go back into the auditorium so we can hear your sister sing; then you can see if you want to sing too, okay?" She looked at Kayleigh and smiled.

"Okay," she said, placing her head on Sharpay's shoulder.

"That's my girl." Sharpay carried her out of the bathroom (after washing both sets of hands) and came back to the auditorium where she saw Larissa getting ready to get up on the stage. "Phew," she said to herself; the last thing she needed was for Larissa to get angry…again. She had missed her audition for "The Sound of Music" because Ana was running a fever; she missed one of the rehearsals because Zachary had a pee wee basketball game. She wasn't about to miss this too.

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"Anastasia Bolton," the coach called out, looking for Ana, who was standing in the back of the gym.

"Here," she said, coming forward.

The coach nodded, "Okay here's what you need to do; I want you to try and kick the ball past the goalie and into the net, okay?"

Ana wasn't paying attention; she was looking over at Troy who was motioning for her to listen. "Huh?" She said, mainly to Troy.

"Anastasia!" The coach nearly yelled.

Ana snapped back to reality, "Oh…okay," she said as she watched the coach place the ball in front of her. She then proceeded to kick the ball…which missed the goal by about 10 feet. She could feel tears start to well up in her eyes. No, she couldn't cry. Not now, anyway. She still had a couple more chances. Yet both times, the ball missed the goal. She saw some of the other kids laugh and tried to ignore them, but being only 7 years old and having 8 and 9 year old kids laughing at her didn't make things easy. "Stop it," she yelled, tears starting to come down her face. She ran to her dad, "They laughed at me," she cried into his lap.

Troy picked her up and placed her beside him, "Well you got nervous," he said gently. "I think you should go out there and try again." He turned to Zach, "Don't you think so?"

Zachary looked up and shrugged, "I don't know," he said, going back to his toy that he brought along.

Troy shook his head and turned back to Ana, "Well _I _think you should go back out there and try again," he said with a smile.

"What if I don't make it," she asked as she wiped her eyes.

He shrugged, "There are so many other sports out there that I know you'd be good at…basketball for one; remember last weekend?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Anastasia, your turn again," the coach called.

She sighed, "I'll try again, daddy," she said as she gave him a hug. She walked back out to the center of the gym and kicked another ball, making it to the net, but not into it. She stomped her foot and frowned. "I stink at this."

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Larissa looked up as she got up on stage and saw her mom and sister sitting back down. She smiled to herself, glad that her mom actually seemed to care about this…or was she only there for Kayleigh? She looked down at her feet and back up at her mom who waved at her and mouthed, 'Good luck!' Larissa smiled and nodded; she wasn't just there for Kayleigh.

"What are you going to sing, dear," Mrs. Grange, the music teacher asked.

"'Beauty and the Beast,'" she said, taking a deep breath. She then started to sing the song.

_Tale as old as time  
True as it can be  
Barely even friends  
Then somebody bends  
Unexpectedly _

Just a little change  
Small to say the least  
Both a little scared  
Neither one prepared  
Beauty and the Beast

She smiled as she heard people applaud her. She looked up and saw Sharpay grinning from ear to ear. She stepped down and ran to her mom, "Did you hear me!" She was literally bouncing up and down.

"I did; and you sounded great," Sharpay said, giving her a hug. "I am very proud of you, sweetie."

Larissa smiled and looked at Kayleigh, "It's your turn soon," she said, "Are you going to try?"

Kayleigh shook her head, "I'm scared," she said, hiding her face again.

"I have an idea," Sharpay said as she picked her up and walked up to the first row. "Why don't you sing just to me when you get up there? Pretend there's no one else in the room. Remember this morning?"

She nodded, "But Ana laughed at me!"

"Ana's not here and no one will laugh at you," Sharpay said, rubbing her back. She looked at Larissa, "Right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, you'll be fine," Larissa said, not really paying attention to what her mom was saying.

"Kayleigh Bolton," Mrs. Grange called.

Kayleigh looked at her mom one more time, "I can't…"

"Just look at me," she said, kissing her forehead.

Kayleigh slowly walked up on the stage and turned to face her mom.

"What song will you be singing, dear," Mrs. Grange asked.

"Uh…um…" She couldn't remember the name of the song. "It's from 'Sleeping Beauty,'" she said quickly, wanting to rush back into her mom's arms.

Mrs. Grange nodded, "Is it 'Once Upon a Dream,'" she asked.

Kayleigh nodded, "Yes."

"Very good," she said, taking out the piano piece to that song. (She had nearly every Disney song known to mankind with her) She began to play the piano and pointed to Kayleigh when it was time to sing.

Kayleigh watched her and looked at her mom as she sang.

_I know you  
I walked with you once upon a dream.  
I know you  
The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam  
Yes, I know it's true  
that visions are seldom all they seem  
But if I know you, I know what you'll do  
You'll love me at once  
the way you did once upon a dream_

When she finished, Sharpay, along with several other people, applauded. Kayleigh rushed down and into her mom's arms. "I did it, mommy!"

"Yes, you certainly did," she said, hugging her back. "That was wonderful sweetie. Didn't she do a great job," she asked Larissa.

"Yeah, sure, great job," she said, not looking up from her Gameboy. (I'm not sure if this is two words or one...)

"I thought I told you not to bring that to school," Sharpay said, taking it and closing it.

"Mom! I was playing that," Larissa protested.

Sharpay looked at her, "I warned you about this, young lady. In fact, I warned you several times. No computer tonight." She stood up, "We have to go home now," she said. They didn't have to wait for Troy, Ana, and Zach since Troy had driven his car to the school.

"That's not fair," Larissa whined all the way out to the car. She frowned at her sister, "This is your fault!"

"Is not," Kayleigh said, placing her hands on her hips.

"That's enough, Larissa," Sharpay said. "This is not your sister's fault. She is not the one who brought the game to school," she said, disappointment eminent in her voice.

Larissa got into the car and looked out the window. Her sister had once again (in her eyes anyway) ruined her day.

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"Okay, that was a great tryout," the coach said to everyone. "I will be posting the list of who made the team tomorrow."

Ana looked up at Troy, "I didn't make, daddy. I didn't make a single goal!"

"That's because you're no good," Zachary said in a sing-song voice.

Ana walked over to him and stomped on his foot, "Shut up!" She raced out of the gym.

"Anastasia, get back here right now," Troy said, collecting her things, along with Zach, who was now crying from having his foot stepped on.

She continued to walk away from her dad, even though he was telling her to stop.

He finally caught up with her, "You do not ever tell your brother to shut up, nor do you use those words and you don't step on his foot like that," he nearly yelled. He then looked at Zach, who was calming down. "And you don't say things like that to your sister," he said just as crossly.

Zachary frowned, "But she's bad at it!"

"That doesn't mean you can say things like that," Troy said, putting the little boy down.

"At least I can tryout without falling down and hitting my head on the floor," she shot back at her brother, remembering when he originally tried out for pee wee basketball. Even though every child made the team, he had slipped and fallen onto the floor and bumped his head.

"That's enough from both of you!" He gave Ana her things and walked out to the car, both kids in tow, sticking their tongues out at each other. "And stop that," he said, turning around.

This was going to be a long ride home. Troy only hoped that things had gone better with his wife and other children.

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**Hmm, things didn't go so well at the end for Sharpay and company…should be an interesting evening! So yes, miniature cliffhanger there; I hope that you liked this! I was imagining the 5 year olds (they are in kindergarten) that come to the preschool in the afternoons and trying to place them with Kayleigh and Zachary…I think it worked. Anyway, please review and suggestions are welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for all of your reviews! I can't sleep (I am having a procedure on my toe done tomorrow…eep!) so I figured I'd try and squeeze in another chapter before this idea goes out of my head, LOL.**

**Disclaimer: Same as it's always been.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 4**_

Sharpay pulled into the garage and shut the car off. She noticed that Troy's car was already there and breathed a sigh of relief; she didn't think she could deal with her two little 'drama queens' alone for another hour. She walked around to the other side of the car and helped Kayleigh out of her car seat (yes, 5 year olds still have those; at least the ones I work with do!).

Larissa shoved past Kayleigh, thus knocking her over and walked into the house in a huff.

"Larissa stop right there," Sharpay said as she scooped a now crying Kayleigh up in her arms and walked into the house. She saw Troy, "Where did she go," she asked, still angry.

"Her room, why," he asked, seeing a crying Kayleigh. "What happened?"

Sharpay shook her head, "Everything was fine until I found this," she said, showing him the gameboy (once again, I don't know if this is two words or one). "After that, everything went downhill," she said as she tried to calm Kayleigh down. She walked up to her room.

"Want me to talk to her," he asked.

She shrugged, "You can try. But before you go, how did things go with you guys?"

He shook his head, "Ana didn't do so hot and Zachary caught her on it and let's just say it escalated from there."

Sharpay set Kayleigh, who was now calmer, down. "Wonderful; all four of them are acting up at once."

"It would seem that way," he said as he headed upstairs. "I'm going to go talk to Larissa."

"Okay," she said as she walked to the family room and saw Ana just sitting there, looking at the TV guide, even though the TV wasn't on. "Hi there," she said, sitting down next to her. "So how did tryouts go?"

Ana looked at her mom, fresh tears coming out of her eyes, "I was horrible mommy! I'm never going to make the team," she said, crying into her mom's shirt.

Sharpay put an arm around her, "Hey, it was only the first day, right? I mean there's still the first round of cuts, isn't there?"

She shook her head, "No; the coach said that she would have the team list posted in a few days," she said as she wiped her eyes. "I didn't even make one goal!"

"Well…that doesn't mean that you didn't make the team," Sharpay said. "I mean, the coach may have seen potential in you."

"Really," Ana said, looking up at her mom.

She nodded, "Sure; I mean, I'm sure she saw that you were nervous and that probably didn't exactly help, but the fact that you tried your best must have proved something to her," she said, smiling softly.

Ana nodded, "I guess…but the other kids are all older than me and they…laughed at me," she said, bursting into tears again. She had always been very sensitive; one of the signature signs of autism. "They hated me, mommy!"

"That's not true," Sharpay said, pulling Ana into her lap. "They don't even know you, sweetie." She continued to comfort Ana, hoping that Troy was having some luck upstairs.

* * *

Troy walked to Larissa's door and knocked, "Can I come in?"

She sat up, "I guess."

He opened the door and walked over to her, "So…how did the audition go?"

She shrugged, "I sang okay…but then Kayleigh had to go and ruin it!"

He sat down, "And how did she do that?"

"Before I even went up there to sing, she threw up…in the bathroom, but it almost made mommy miss me sing!" She frowned and wiped her eyes. "Then after she sang, mommy asked me how I think she did and I didn't really answer because…"

"You had something that you know you're not supposed to bring to school," he said, looking pointedly at her.

She nodded, "Sorry," she said softly. "But…"

He shook his head, "No 'buts.' You know the rule about bringing those things to school." He saw the look on her face and sighed, "Honey, I know that you had your sister's best intentions in mind, but you can't go blaming her for getting nervous or blame your mom for taking care of her when that happens; the same applies to Ana and Zach." He paused, "Did you know that when you were Kayleigh's age that you had a lot of anxiety about going up on stage?"

She shrugged, "Kind of…"

He nodded, "Well you did; in fact, on several occasions, you got very nervous about going up on stage and the same thing that happened to Kayleigh happened to you. And do you know who got very jealous?"

She shook her head, "It wasn't Kayleigh, because she and Zach were babies."

"That's right; it was Ana. You would get so nervous that mom would have to take you out of the room or into the bathroom and leave Ana with me or another family member. Does any of that ring a bell?"

She nodded slowly, "Sort of…"

He put his arm around her and brought her close, "Honey, Kayleigh didn't do any of those things today to you on purpose; she was just scared, like you used to be when you first went on stage."

She shrugged, "I guess…but I'm afraid that she'll start to love Kayleigh more," she said, starting to shake in his arms.

Troy pulled her into his lap, "Sweetie that will never happen; ever. And you know that." He took a tissue and wiped her face. "Mommy and I both love you very much and we always will…but you need to know that you're not the only child in this family."

She nodded, "I know," she said, sniffling. "I am happy for Kayleigh, really…but it was hard…"

"To see mommy helping her like she did," he finished for her.

"Yeah," she said softly.

He sighed, "Well, that's bound to happen." He paused, "And I think that there's something you need to do right now," he said, nodding his head towards Kayleigh's room.

"Okay," she said quietly. She hugged him once more before getting out of his lap and walked into Kayleigh's room. "Can I come in?"

Kayleigh looked up, "I guess," she said, moving back, afraid that Larissa was going to hurt her again.

"Sorry for pushing you down in the car," she said quickly. She looked up at Troy who was standing in the doorway. He looked at her as if to say, 'and what else?' She sighed, "And sorry for not saying you did a good job, 'cause you did," she said with a small smile.

Kayleigh smiled softly, "I did a good job," she asked, not really listening to the apology.

Larissa frowned, "Didn't you hear any of what I said?" She stood up, "You never listen!" She walked out of the room and into her own and slammed her door.

Kayleigh looked up at her dad, "What did I do," she asked, practically in tears.

He shook his head, "Nothing." He kissed her forehead and comforted her until she was calm.

* * *

"And Zach even made fun of me," Ana said, starting to cry again. "I know he's only 5, but he said I was no good…he said I was bad at it," she said through her tears.

Sharpay sighed, "Honey, like you just said, he's only 5 years old. Of course he's going to say something like that."

Just then Zachary walked into the family room, "Mommy I'm hungry."

"Shut up," Ana yelled.

"Whoa, that was uncalled for," Sharpay said crossly. "We don't say those words in this house." She looked over at Zachary who looked as if he was about to cry. "Come here, honey."

He walked over to his mom and sat on the other side of her. "Mommy, she's mean!"

"So are you!" Ana yelled.

"Stop, now!" Sharpay looked at the two of them, "Ana, what did I just say? He is only 5. And Zachary, I know you may not have understood this, but when you said your sister did a bad job today in tryouts, that hurt her feelings," she said as calmly as possible.

He looked up at Ana, "Oh."

"See, he doesn't care, mommy!" Ana yelled.

"Anastasia that is enough," Sharpay said. She looked at Zachary, "Honey, what you said hurt your sister's feelings; can you say you're sorry?"

He looked at Ana, "Sorry, Ana…are you okay?" He looked at her as though he meant it.

Ana looked at him, "Thanks," she said softly. "And…sorry for stepping on your foot earlier."

He smiled, "It's all better now!" He took off his sock and showed her, "See?"

Ana stifled a laugh, "Yeah, I see."

Sharpay smiled, "Okay I think you can put that sock back on now…I know who's getting a bath tonight," she said with a small smile.

"Okay mommy," he said as he put his sock back on. He started to put his shoe on, but couldn't tie it. "Mommy, I can't do it," he said, getting frustrated.

Ana looked at her mom and then at Zach, "I'll help you," she said. She walked over to him and tied his shoe. "There."

He smiled, "Thanks, Ana." He hugged her and then looked at Sharpay, "Mommy I'm still hungry."

Sharpay laughed, "Well then I guess I had better get dinner started," she said. "Ana, why don't you start on your math homework that I know you have," she said.

"But it's hard to do the adding," she said, starting to pout again.

"Ana," she said in a warning tone.

She sighed, "Will you help me, mommy?"

"Yes, after dinner; do the problems that you can, and then after dinner, we'll work on it."

She nodded, "Okay." She walked upstairs to her and Kayleigh's room and picked up her backpack and took out her homework.

* * *

Larissa sat on her bed, angry that her sister didn't listen to her apology. "I try to be nice and she doesn't listen," she said aloud to herself. "I hate her," she said.

"Larissa, stop that right now," Troy said, walking into her room.

"But she is so…so…"

"Five years old, perhaps," he said, sitting on the bed. "Larissa, she heard what she wanted to hear; you said she did a good job and she liked hearing that."

"She's so stupid!" She yelled, "I hate her!" Larissa stormed out of the room and downstairs.

"Larissa, come back here right now," Troy said angrily.

She sat down on the couch in the family room and started to cry.

* * *

**(Sighs) You feel bad for Larissa but at the same time you want to wring her neck. ;-) Just kidding! Anyway, that's chapter 4. I hope you liked it. Please do review and in your review, let me know what you think Larissa's punishment should be (after all, she won't listen to either parent!). Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I love the story too! Well, here is the next chapter of the story, I hope you like it!**

**A/N: Thank you to trumpetrulez101 (sorry if I got your penname wrong…) for the best way to punish Larissa for her behavior. **

**Disclaimer: It still hasn't changed, folks.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 5**_

"_She's so stupid!" She yelled, "I hate her!" Larissa stormed out of the room and downstairs._

"_Larissa, come back here right now," Troy said angrily._

_She sat down on the couch in the family room and started to cry._

Sharpay saw Larissa run down the stairs and into the family room, "Not again," she groaned. She then saw Troy come down the stairs after her.

Troy walked into the living room and looked at Larissa. He knew that if he said anything to her now, it would be something he would later regret. He walked into the kitchen where Sharpay was. "We seem to be having trouble with name calling," he said. "I tried to explain to her that Kayleigh is only five and that she heard what she wanted to hear when Larissa said she did a good job today…she also apologized, but Kayleigh…"

"Only heard the part about Larissa telling her that she did a good job," Sharpay finished for him. She sighed, "We're giving her way too much attention by always running after her," she said, placing the spaghetti noodles into the boiling water. "I have an idea." She walked over to her daughter, "Larissa, look at me," she said sternly.

Larissa looked up at her mom, still crying.

"If you want to cry, that's fine; but I really don't feel like hearing your crying right now, so if you're going to do this, go to your room and do it," she said, looking her straight in the eye.

"But mommy…"

"No; you have two choices: you either stop this nonsense right now or you go to your room and cry up there. I'm sick and tired of this, young lady. You are nine years old and know better," she said crossly yet calmly.

Larissa frowned at her parents; they didn't even want to hear her side of the story! She walked over to her parents, "But Kayleigh should have…"

"What did I just say," Sharpay said. She took a deep breath and looked at Troy and back at Larissa. "I want you to go to your room right now; your father and I will be up later to talk about this," she said firmly.

Larissa frowned at her parents, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument. She stomped the stairs and slammed her door shut.

Sharpay sighed and went back to making dinner.

"Shouldn't we go after her," Troy asked, confused.

She shook her head, "No; that is what she wants us to do. She's seeking attention, Troy and we are giving in too much. She needs to have this tantrum on her own without us interceding," she said.

He nodded, "Yeah…I guess you're right; it's just hard to watch this."

"I know," she said, walking over to him, "But we're doing the right thing."

Ana walked downstairs, "Mommy I don't know how to do these problems," she said, her math assignment in hand.

Sharpay looked at it, "Here; use these carrots as an example," she said, spreading several baby carrots on to a paper towel. "Now let's see…you have 6 + 2, right?" Ana nodded. "All right; so take six carrots and place them on the left side of the towel." Ana did so. "Good; now place two carrots on the right side." Ana did that as well. "Okay, how many carrots do you see?"

Ana counted the carrots, "Eight! I see eight of them!" She smiled to herself. "So that means that 6+2 equals 8, right?"

Troy smiled, "You got it."

Ana looked at the next problem which was 7+3; she counted out 7 carrots and then 3 carrots. "Um…10! The answer is 10!" She looked up at her parents.

"That's exactly right," Sharpay said with a smile. "Now all you have to do, since you're not going to have carrots at school, is put little lines or dots by the problem; then count them up."

"Okay," Ana said with a smile, "Thanks mommy." She walked back up to her room.

Troy looked over at her and smiled, "I never would have thought of that."

She shrugged, "It's how my dad taught me how to add…since my mom was always…away," she said, getting back to dinner.

**20 MINUTES LATER…**

"Kayleigh, Ana, wash up and come down for dinner," Sharpay said, walking into their room.

The two looked up and did as they were told. "What are we having," Kayleigh asked skeptically. She had the tendency to be a picky eater.

"Spaghetti," Sharpay said.

She smiled, "Okay." She followed her sister into the bathroom and washed her hands.

Sharpay smiled and walked into Zachary's room, "Honey, time for dinner; go wash up please."

"Okay mommy." He got up and went downstairs.

Sharpay took a deep breath before going into Larissa's room. If there was one thing she wasn't ever going to do, it was deprive her children of eating. She slowly opened the door and saw Larissa sitting on the floor of her room. Her legs were crossed and her chin was in her hands. "Larissa, it's time for dinner," she said.

"I'm not hungry," she said flatly.

She sighed, "You need to eat, Larissa; I don't care how upset you are right now…you still need to eat dinner."

"No."

"Fine, then; but don't come to us when you're starving tonight," Sharpay said, walking out of the room, leaving the door opened.

As she was walking down the stairs, she heard footsteps and then a door slam shut. She shook her head and walked into the kitchen and over to Troy, "We will have one less person eating dinner with us," she said aside to him.

He nodded, "I think we should keep it warm for her; just in case she gets hungry later."

She hesitated before agreeing, "All right…I don't want to make people think we're starving her." She then served the rest of the family dinner.

* * *

After getting Kayleigh and Zachary into bed (it was 7:30) and Ana ready for bed, Troy and Sharpay walked over to Larissa's room. "Okay, you remember what the plan is, right?"

He nodded, "Yes, I only hope it works."

"Trust me; it will," she said, since her father had done the same thing with her when she was little; it worked perfectly.

Troy knocked on the door and opened it a crack and saw that Larissa was sitting on her bed, now changed into her pajamas. "We need to talk to you," he said, coming into the room.

She looked up at him, "What?"

"No attitude, Larissa," Sharpay said. "We need to talk to you about…your punishment."

Larissa's jaw dropped, "What! But I didn't do anything wrong!"

"We're not even going to go into that right now," Sharpay said as she sat down on the bed. "I want you to listen to us, and I want you to pay attention to what we're going to say."

She sighed and nodded, "Okay."

Troy took the chair that was at Larissa's desk and sat down, "Here's the deal Larissa." He took a deep breath, "If you cannot stop behaving the way you are, then you will not be able to participate in the acting classes we signed you up for."

"But daddy…"

"We're not through, Larissa," Sharpay said, "You will also not be able to be in the school play."

Larissa's eyes filled with tears, "But…I want to do both!"

Sharpay nodded, "I…we know you do; but if you keep behaving like this, then you won't be doing either one." She paused, "However, if you can behave yourself for an entire week…and that means no name calling, no pushing, hitting, or doing anything like that to your sisters and brother, then we will think about letting you participate in the classes and be in the play."

"I want to do both," she said, now crying. "I'm sorry, mommy, I'm sorry, daddy! I want to do both! Please!"

"Well, show us that you can act your age and we'll see what happens in week," Troy said, now confident in Sharpay's idea. It really seemed to be getting to Larissa that what she did was wrong.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, "O-Okay," she said quietly.

Sharpay inched towards Larissa and put her arm around her, "Good; and you do know that your dad and I love you very much, right?"

She nodded, "Yes," she said quietly.

"All right, good," Sharpay said as she kissed Larissa's forehead.

"Um, mommy?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry," she said, holding her stomach.

Troy chuckled, "Well we kept dinner warm just in case you changed your mind. Why don't you wipe your face and come downstairs, have a little dinner and then finish your homework," he said, seeing some of her work sprawled out on the floor.

"Okay," she said as she got up.

* * *

**Next Morning…**

"Oh, not again," Sharpay said to herself. "Guys, let's go," she called up to her kids.

Ana raced down the stairs, "Mommy I think I find out if I made the team today," she said with a worried look.

Sharpay hugged her, "Remember what we talked about yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Well just remember that, okay? And don't be afraid of the other kids; once you get used to it, I'm sure you'll be a champ; I've seen you kick the ball several times in the backyard when you've played with your dad and brother." She smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Okay mommy," she said as she grabbed her lunch and put it in her bag.

Larissa got up from the kitchen table and put her plate and cup into the sink and grabbed her things, "Mommy, what do I do if I made the play," she asked, remembering last night.

Sharpay shrugged, "Well, rehearsals don't start until next week anyway, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, then you really don't have that much to worry about right now. But if you make it, you have to remember what we talked about. Got it?"

She nodded, "Okay."

Kayleigh walked over to the sink and as she was about to place her cup into it, her orange juice spilled all over Larissa's pants. She looked at her sister, wide eyed. "Uh oh…sorry," she said as she hid behind her mom.

Larissa looked at her pants, "Well…these weren't my favorite pants anyway," she said, walking over to Kayleigh. "It's…it's okay," she said after a minute.

Kayleigh smiled and watched as her sister sloshed up the steps to her room to change.

Sharpay chuckled and rolled her eyes. She then counted the number of children that were present. "Troy, where's Zachary?"

Troy walked into the living room, family room, and back into the kitchen. "Well I know he didn't go upstairs…" He looked at the sliding door in the kitchen that led to the backyard. "Not again," he said, hurrying out the door. He walked over to his son, who was throwing a basketball up in the air. "Zachary, what have I told you about going outside?"

"Wait for you," he asked, guilt written all over his face.

"That's right," Troy said as he set the ball down and picked the five year old up and brought him into the house. "I found him," he said, setting Zachary down.

Sharpay frowned, "I know you love basketball and that's great, but you have to wait for one of us to go out there with you, honey." She saw that he had learned his lesson, since tears were making their way into his eyes. She sighed, "Larissa, how long does it take to change your pants?"

Larissa hurried down the stairs, "I'm ready," she said.

"Good, let's go then."

They all kissed their dad goodbye, since Troy had to be at a meeting in… "Not again," he said, looking at his watch. He hurried upstairs and changed into his suit.

"Come on, I know you all can walk faster than that," Sharpay said as the four kids slowly walked to the car. Once in and buckled, she drove them to school. "I'll be back at 3:30 today, okay?"

They nodded; Larissa and Ana hurried out of the car, wanting to see the results of their respective tryouts yesterday.

Sharpay walked Kayleigh and Zachary into the school and into their classroom, "Morning, Alison," Sharpay said. Alison had become the head teacher in the class since Mrs. Johnson retired.

She smiled at her, "Good morning…hectic day so far?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "You could say that. So how's Maya doing? We haven't seen her at the house in a while."

"She's good; she's learning how to walk on the crutches…very slowly…but she's having a lot of back pain which is keeping her from…" She would have gone on, had Ana and Larissa not come running over to her.

"Mommy I made the play," Larissa beamed. She walked into the kindergarten room, "Kayleigh, guess what?"

She looked up, "What?"

"You made the play too!" She smiled, "You're going to be in the ensemble, but you have a few lines I think."

Kayleigh smiled and ran out to Sharpay, "Mommy! I did it!" She hugged her, and looked up at her.

"That's great, sweetie," she said. She the looked over at Ana, "And I'm guessing you have some news?" She smiled.

Ana smiled as well, "I…I made the team, mommy!" She wrapped her arms around her mom. "I get to play soccer!"

Sharpay smiled, "See, I told you that you'd be able to do it." She hugged and kissed her. "You had better get to class before the bell rings," she said, looking at the clock.

Ana nodded, "Okay! Bye mommy! Oh, and the first practice is next week after school."

"All right; sounds good."

Ana nodded and hurried off to class.

Larissa hugged her mom, "I'll be good, I promise, mommy. I want to do the acting classes," she said, hope in her eyes.

"Well, just stick to the deal we made last night and we'll go from there," she said, hugging Larissa back. "I love you…now get to class."

"Okay…bye!" She ran off to her class.

Sharpay sighed, "Well, I should be getting to work," she said to Alison. "I'll see you this afternoon."

Alison nodded, "All right; bye."

Sharpay hurried out of the school and out to the car and drove to her school, this time feeling much more confident in her children. She decided she would call Troy at lunch time, since he would be in the meeting all morning. As she drove into the parking lot, she failed to notice the little light that was flashing on the dashboard of the car…

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**Hmm, mini cliffhanger, LOL. What will happen that afternoon? I hope you liked it; please review and thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, I guess that cliffhanger was bigger than I thought, LOL. Anyway, here's chapter 6. Oh, and some Troypay here…finally.**

**A/N: Drama alert!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 6**_

_Sharpay hurried out of the school and out to the car and drove to her school, this time feeling much more confident in her children. She decided she would call Troy at lunch time, since he would be in the meeting all morning. As she drove to the school, she failed to notice the little light that was flashing on the dashboard of the car…_

Sharpay was a block away from the parking lot when she saw the little 'check engine' light blinking. She didn't think anything of it since it had happened a few times before. As she turned onto the street that the school was on, her car stalled. "Great, just great," she said as she turned the key to start the car. Only it wouldn't start. She turned the key over and over, getting the same response. She finally looked up only to see another car coming at her rather quickly. Everything went black after that.

* * *

Troy was finishing up in his meeting when his cell phone rang, "Sorry, I should get this," he said to the others. He opened it up, "Hello…yes, this is Troy Bolton…yes, she's my wife; what's going on?" As he listened to what happened, he slowly sat down in his chair. "Oh my…is she okay?" He ran a hand through his hair, "Okay…thank you very much." He hung up the phone, not believing what he just heard.

Jason, who was still in the room walked over to him, "What happened?"

Troy looked up at Jason, "That was uh…the police," he said, his voice beginning to crack. "They said that Sharpay was in a…an accident," he said, shaking his head.

"Is she all right," Jason asked, sitting down beside his friend.

"All they said was that some drunk driver hit her," he said, standing up. "I have to go to the hospital."

Jason got up and followed him, "Are you sure you're okay to drive? I mean, I'll drive you…"

"No!" He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry…I need to drive myself," he said, fumbling for his keys. "Thank you though."

"Do you want me to call anyone," he asked, following Troy out to the parking lot.

"No, I'll call Ryan and her father," he said, getting into his car. "Thanks anyway." He started the car and rushed to the hospital, praying that his wife was all right.

As he pulled up to the ER, a place he knew all too well, he took out his cell phone and called Ryan, who said he'd be there as soon as he could. He then called Sharpay's father who was out of town but said that he would get on the first plane back to Albuquerque.

He parked the car and walked into the ER and walked up to the front desk, "My wife, Sharpay Bolton was just taken here…she was in an accident…" He said breathlessly.

"Mr. Bolton," a doctor said, walking over to him.

"Yes, that's me…where is my wife," he asked, now completely worried.

"She's upstairs in the ICU; she was here only for a few minutes, but…"

Troy rushed to the elevator and pushed the button for the 4th floor, the ICU. As soon as the doors opened, he hurried to the desk, "My wife, Sharpay Bolton was just brought up here," he said to one of the nurses.

The doctor from the ER caught up to Troy, "Mr. Bolton, you didn't let me finish. I said that she was only in the ER for a few minutes because…"

"Oh no, she's not…" Troy could feel tears starting to run down his face.

"No, she isn't, but we are afraid that the baby may have suffered some."

Troy turned to look at the doctor, "What? What baby?"

"She is 2 ½ months pregnant sir," the doctor said.

Troy, not believing any of this, wanted to punch a hole through a wall. "Okay just…where the hell is my wife," he yelled.

"Room 403," the doctor replied. "Follow me."

Troy followed the doctor into the room and saw Sharpay who was breathing on her own; she had several cuts on her face, and a cut on her neck. She seemed fine other than that. "What happened," he asked, calming down as he walked over to her.

"She was hit by a car and from what we were told, the airbag saved her life, but also gave her many cuts on her face, as you can see and her seatbelt caused the small cut on her neck," he said. "Other than that, she is all right."

Troy looked at the doctor's name, "Okay, thank you Dr. Carter **(Yes, little tribute to the show I used to always watch)**," he said as he sat down next to her. "Um, may I have a few minutes…?"

"Of course," Dr. Carter said as he left the room.

Troy looked at Sharpay and took her hand. He took his other hand and ran it through her hair, "Please be okay," he said hoarsely.

Sharpay blinked several times and looked over at her husband whose head was down. "T-Troy?"

He looked up, "Oh thank G-d you're okay," he said, relief pouring over his face. "I was so worried about you," he said, kissing her forehead.

She smiled softly, "It…it was my fault…I shouldn't have ignored that stupid little light," she said as tears streamed down her face. "I should have pulled over when I saw it come on, but I kept going. And then it just…stopped…this is my fault," she cried.

He shook his head, "No, don't do this; you were hit by a drunk driver, Shar. Even if you were still driving you would have…" He didn't even want to think it. "But you aren't to blame, you have to know that."

She nodded as more tears came down her face, "Troy, the doctor…he said that I'm pregnant," she said quietly.

"Yeah…he told me that too," he said. "2 ½ months to be exact; at least that's what he said."

She nodded, "But I think I hurt the baby when the airbag came out; the force alone…"

He shook his head, "I'm not worrying about that right now…okay well I am, but when I got that call…"

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she squeezed his hand. She suddenly felt a very sharp pain in her abdomen. "Troy…get the doctor."

Troy ran out of the room and came back with the doctor. "She said something about pain in her abdomen," he said, suddenly thinking the worst.

He nodded, "I see…I'm sorry," he said as he examined her. "Okay, we need to do an ultrasound."

"What? Is something wrong with the baby," Troy asked, now in full worry mode.

"I don't know, that's why we need to do the ultrasound," the doctor said as he told a nurse to go get the machine and a monitor. He then looked at her again and saw blood.

Troy noticed this as well, "Oh dear lord, no."

Sharpay's pains became worse, "Troy…what's…going…on," she asked, squeezing his hand tighter.

The nurse came into the room with the ultrasound machine and helped the doctor set it up. "It's ready, doctor."

"Thank you," he said as he squeezed some of the jelly on to Sharpay's stomach. He looked up at the monitor as he moved the stick around. He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Bolton, but…"

"No! Not again," she cried. "This is my fault! That stupid car, the stupid light…" She sobbed.

Troy held her in his arms as she cried. He couldn't help but to shed a few tears as well. The baby they only just found out existed was gone.

"Ma'am, it wasn't the car accident that caused this to happen," the doctor said.

Sharpay looked up at him, "What?"

"From what I just saw on the monitor, the baby wouldn't have survived anyway," he said softly. "You have had a few miscarriages before, am I correct?"

She nodded, clinging onto Troy who just held her.

"Well, it is quite common that after a woman has had at least two miscarriages that she won't become pregnant again; or if she does, that they baby won't survive; to be quite frank, I am surprised that you were pregnant in the first place, since it says here that only 3 years ago you…"

Troy nodded, "We know," he said, holding Sharpay. "The doctor told us that she would probably never become pregnant again and if she did that it wouldn't survive," he said as he looked at Sharpay.

He nodded, "I am very sorry. I'll have an orderly come help you clean up and then we will move you to a private room."

"Thank you," she said, her tears still flowing. She turned to Troy, "At least it didn't suffer," she said softly.

"To be honest, I am more thankful that you're all right," he said, kissing her once again.

She nodded, "So am I." She kissed him back, but soon broke the kiss, "Oh no, the kids…where are they?"

"Shh, relax. For one thing, it's the middle of the day; they're still in school. Second, I asked Ryan if he or Gabi could pick them up," he said as he stroked her hair. "It'll be okay."

* * *

Larissa, Ana, Kayleigh, and Zachary waited outside for their mom to come. "Where is she," Ana asked. "She said she'd be here."

Larissa shrugged, "Maybe she got held up." She then saw her uncle drive up, "Uncle Ryan?"

He nodded, "Hi guys."

"Where's my mommy," Kayleigh asked.

"She uh…" He took a deep breath, "She had some um…car trouble," he said, not knowing how to break the fact that their mom was hit by an idiot drunk driver.

"Where is she," Zachary asked. "Or where's daddy?"

Ryan guided them to the car and helped them in. "He's with her; he asked me to take you over there."

Larissa looked at her uncle, "Over where?"

Ryan got into the car and looked at his nieces and nephew, "To the hospital," he said as he started the car and started driving.

Ana's eyes grew moist, "Is mommy okay," she asked.

"She'll be fine," Ryan said, not knowing that Sharpay had been with child for 2 months. He glanced over at the four terrified children. "Believe me; I just talked to your dad and he said that she is going to be just fine," he said, trying to reassure them.

Larissa nodded, "Okay," she said, believing him.

"So," Ryan said, trying to make conversation as he drove them to the hospital, "Anything exciting happening at school?"

Ana smiled softly, "I made the soccer team."

"That's great, sweetie," he said with a smile.

"Kayleigh and I are going to be in 'Alice in Wonderland,'" Larissa said.

Ryan smiled, "That's wonderful girls. What parts are you playing?"

Kayleigh smiled, "I'm in the semble," she said, proudly.

"It's ensemble, Kayleigh," Larissa said with a grin.

"Oh," Kayleigh said quietly.

"I'm Alice," Larissa said.

Ryan smiled, "Just like my sister; she was in every school production from kindergarten on up through high school; and I was always in the show with her." He looked at Zachary, "And how about you? What are you up to these days?"

"Basketball," he said, putting his arms in the air. "I get to play real soon."

"That's great; just like your dad," Ryan said as he pulled up to the hospital. "Okay, here we are," he said as he shut off the car and helped Kayleigh and Zachary out. "Now when we get up there, you guys have to be very quiet, okay?"

Larissa nodded, "Okay."

Ryan pushed the button for the 4th floor, remembering what room Troy said Sharpay was in. "Okay remember, very quiet," he said as the got off the elevator.

"How are we going to tell the kids," Sharpay asked for the umpteenth time.

"Tell us what," Ana asked from the doorway.

Troy looked up and smiled, "Hi guys." He then looked at Ryan, "Thank you so much for doing this."

"Hey, anything for my sister," he said, giving her a hug. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, "Kind of drained."

He nodded, "I'd be feeling that way too." He hugged her once more before going to the door, "I'll see you later, okay?" He was about to leave when Troy walked over to him.

"Ryan, I need to talk to you for a second." He walked out into the hall.

Back in the room, Kayleigh rushed over to her mom, "Mommy are you okay? Uncle Ryan said your car was sick," she said on the verge of tears.

"I'm just fine honey, I promise. I did have a little bit of car trouble but as you can see I'm okay."

Ana climbed up on the chair and hugged her mom and cried, "You…scared…me," she said through her sobs.

Sharpay put her arm around Ana, knowing how sensitive she was. "I know and I'm sorry honey." She kissed her forehead. "But I'm really okay."

Zachary climbed up on the chair next to Ana, "Mommy do you hurt?"

She smiled, "Not really sweetie; actually I feel much better now that you guys are here." She looked over at Larissa who was watching from afar. "It's all right honey, there's nothing to be scared of." Larissa just backed away and ran out of the room. "Oh dear," Sharpay said to herself.

Troy, who had just finished telling Ryan the whole story, saw Larissa run out of the room. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, okay. Oh and she's over there," Ryan said, pointing to a block of chairs in the waiting area.

"Thanks." Troy walked over to her, "Larissa, why did you do that?"

She just looked at her dad, "Something else is wrong with mommy. I know it." She sat down on the chair and looked expectantly at him.

* * *

**Wow that was a hard chapter to write! I hope you liked it and don't want to kill me. So how does Larissa know something else went wrong? Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Again, thank you for the reviews! Yes, you get another chapter today, LOL. I don't have much to do as you can see. ;-)**

**Random Happy Note: I got my DVD of HSM today! I have already watched bonus features and they are great; you get a real behind the scenes featurette! So whoever else bought the DVD, you have a lot to look forward to. :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 7**_

_She just looked at her dad, "Something else is wrong with mommy. I know it." She sat down on the chair and looked expectantly at him._

He sat down beside her, "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged, "Mommy kept holding her tummy and she looked sad." She looked down at her feet.

Troy rubbed her back, "Well, you were right; something else was wrong, physically."

"What happened, daddy?"

He sighed, "Well, after mommy's accident, she found out that she was going to have a baby." He looked over at Larissa.

She smiled for a moment, but it soon faded. "She's not going to have one, is she?"

He shook his head, "No honey, she's not. The baby just wasn't strong enough to stay with your mommy," he said, seeing that Larissa was clearly upset.

"Is she sad?"

He nodded, "Yes, she is sad; but you know what would make her feel better?"

She thought for a moment, "Um, me being good all week?"

He chuckled softly, "Well that's a little bit of it; what would really make her feel better is if you were to go in there and show her how much you love her."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Really," he said as he stood up. He took her hand, "Come on, let's go."

She nodded and walked with him back to the room. She stopped in the doorway when she saw Sharpay look at her.

Sharpay smiled softly, "Come here, Larissa," she said as she extended her arms.

Larissa ran over to her mom and sat on the bed beside her and wrapped her arms around her.

Sharpay smiled at Troy and returned the hug, "Thank you, honey," she said, kissing her head.

"Do you still feel sad, mommy?"

She gave Troy a look, "How did she…"

"She's smart; she could see it in your face that something else was wrong; that and the fact that your hands were on your stomach," he pointed out.

"Mommy, why are you sad," Ana asked from the other side of the bed.

Sharpay sighed and sat further up, "Well, before you guys came over with your uncle, I found out that I was going to have a baby," she said, looking at all of them.

Kayleigh smiled, "You mean I get a new brother or sister?"

Sharpay could feel tears in her eyes, but she had to be strong in front of her children, "Well, you were, but the baby just…wasn't strong enough," she said, taking a shaky deep breath.

Kayleigh's face fell, "Is that why you're sad, mommy," she asked, walking over to her mom.

"Yeah," she said in almost a whisper.

Zachary smiled softly, "Mommy I don't think you need a baby," he said, walking over to where Ana was.

Troy walked over to his son and picked him up, "What do you mean, buddy?"

Zachary looked from Troy to Sharpay, "Because mommy has us," he said with a small smile.

That did it; Sharpay could no longer hold her tears inside. She nodded, "You're right honey, you're so right." She held out her arms so she could hug the smart little 5 year old.

* * *

**Two Days Later…**

Sharpay was allowed to come home a couple days after the accident. The doctor wanted to keep her an extra 48 hours just to make sure she wasn't bleeding and that she was well enough from the accident to go home.

"Here we go," Troy said as he helped Sharpay get into the wheelchair.

"Thank you," she said as she sat down.

"And I have your bag right here," he said.

"Thank you again."

Troy walked with the orderly as he wheeled her out to the car (which Troy had brought around). "And into the car we go," he said as he opened the door for her.

She smiled, "You're too good for me."

"Maybe so, but I like it," he said with a smile. He walked over to the other side and drove home. "Okay, I hate to do this to you, but I am almost going to have to just drop you off and then leave again."

"Why's that?"

He pointed to the clock, "It's 3:00, which means the kids are done with school."

She nodded, "True; but I'd like to come with you to pick them up; please?"

"I think we can do that; I just wasn't sure if you wanted to get some extra rest," he said as they turned left instead of right to get to the school.

When they pulled up, they saw all four kids waiting for them. "Look, it's mommy," Zachary said with excitement.

Troy got out of the car, "Hey guys, look who's actually early today," he said as he helped them into the car.

"Daddy I have a question," Ana said as she sat down.

"And that would be what," he asked.

"Mommy usually picks us up from school…how is she going to pick us up without a car?"

Sharpay looked over at Troy, "She's got a good point there, honey."

"Don't worry, we'll fix that soon." He turned to Sharpay, "I called the lawyer today and he said that it's an open and shut case; the driver of the other car failed the breathalyzer by a mile, which means we will be getting the money that is coming to us," he said.

She smiled, "Thank goodness for small favors," she said.

Kayleigh smiled, "Does this mean we get to go buy a new car," she asked.

Sharpay nodded, "Um, yeah."

"Cool," Zachary said. "I want one of those really big monster cars," he said with a smile.

Troy laughed, "Sorry buddy I don't think we're going to get one of those anytime soon."

Larissa smiled, "Can I come with you again like last time daddy," she asked.

He shrugged, "We'll see; for now, let's just focus on coming into the house," he said as he pulled into the garage.

Once everyone was inside, Larissa walked over to her parents, "Has it been a week yet?"

Troy shook his head, "You still have five more days."

"Darn," she said, walking up to her room, making sure to not slam her door, but simply close it most of the way.

He smiled, "It's working."

"You look surprised," Sharpay said.

"In a way…I am. How did you know that would work?"

She sighed, "Don't you ever listen? I said that my dad did the exact same thing to me when I was eight years old and boy did I do a 180. I figured if it could work on me, it would work on her."

He nodded, "Good point." **(A/N: Just so you know; Larissa's punishment took place on a Monday and it's now Wednesday, so really does have 5 more days)**

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The next morning, Troy got all the kids ready for school since Sharpay still needed some extra rest. "All right, have a great day guys," he said as he helped the twins out of their car seats.

"Daddy," Larissa said, walking back over to him.

"What is it honey?"

"You can't buy the car without me," she said seriously. "I want to come with you again."

He smiled, "I'll see what I can do; besides I can't do that today anyway; I have a meeting."

She frowned, "But who's going to take car of mommy?"

"She's not on bed rest and the only reason she is staying at home today and not taking you guys to school is because I have a meeting and need my car," he said, reassuring her. "She'll be just fine sweetie, I promise." He gave her a hug.

She nodded, "Okay; bye daddy," she said as she walked into the school.

He smiled and watched her walk inside and then drove to work.

* * *

As Ana walked to her classroom, she passed a few of the other kids who made the soccer team. She tried her best to avoid them, but one of them stopped her. "Hey Brittany, look who it is," the girl said.

Brittany, the other girl walked over to Ana, "So you're the one who made the team," she said, looking at her as if she were some form of disease. "The coach must have felt really bad for you, because you stunk."

Ana looked at the two, "Go away," she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She ran from them and into her classroom, slipped on the floor and started to cry.

Her teacher walked over to her, "Ana, what's wrong?"

"They're being mean to me," she said, pointing to the girls in the hall.

"What did they say to you?"

She shook her head, too scared to tell on them, "Nothing," she said quietly.

"Ana, it's okay to tell me," she said gently.

She looked up, "They said I am bad at soccer."

She nodded, "I see." She helped Ana back up to her feet and to her desk and then walked into the hall.

Ana looked over to see her teacher scolding the two girls, both of whom were in the 3rd grade and had Ana's teacher the year before. She wiped her eyes and got a tissue for her nose, feeling a bit better.

Kayleigh and Zachary walked into their classroom, put their things away, and sat down. Ms. Dennings (Alison…but since she was now the actual teacher, she had to go by her last name) walked over to the two, "Hi guys; how's your mom feeling?"

"Fine," they said in unison.

She nodded, "That's good; tell her that I said hi, okay?"

"Okay," Kayleigh said.

She smiled and walked to the front of the room and brought pieces of paper to everyone's table. "We're going to practice our writing today," she said.

Zachary and Kayleigh smiled at one another. If there was one thing they were both good at, it was writing.

Larissa walked into her classroom and saw Maya. She smiled and walked over to her, "Hi Maya how's your back?"

She shrugged, "It still hurts," she said. "That's why I'm…still in…my chair."

"It'll get better," Larissa said, remembering how she made her mom feel better by just talking to her and hugging her.

Maya smiled, "I hope so." She paused, "Is your…mom okay?"

She nodded, "She's feeling better, but she's still sad since she couldn't keep her baby in her tummy," she said, saying it the only way she knew how to.

Since Alison and Sharpay had become good friends after what happened with Larissa a few years back, Sharpay had told Alison what happened.

"My mommy…was sad too…when I got hurt," she said.

Larissa smiled, "But you're okay now."

* * *

After his meeting, Troy returned home and found Sharpay in the computer room. He walked over to her, "Hey beautiful." **(Hehe, that's what my boyfriend says to me :))**

She looked over her shoulder and smiled, "Hi there; how was your meeting?"

"Boring, just like every other meeting," he said with a sigh. "So what are you up to?"

"I'm just looking to see what car we could buy to replace mine," she said.

He nodded, "How about a Corvette?"

She gave him a look, "Are you nuts?"

He shook his head, "No; we could get that or maybe even a Porsche."

"Okay and how am I supposed to transport 4 children in a car that has two seats in it," she said, getting up and placing her hands on her hips.

He stifled a laugh, "I love it when you get mad like that…it's kind of…sexy."

She rolled her eyes, "You are so…so…" She just looked at him and planted her lips on his.

"So what," he asked when they parted.

"So cute when you act like you're in your 20s again," she said with a smile. "Or even your teens." She suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you remember when we first started dating?"

He nodded, "Yeah, what about it?"

"You were so cute whenever you'd try to open the car door," she said, laughing again.

He turned pink, "Yeah…then on our first date you just had to embarrass me by opening the door with no trouble at all," he said with a smile.

"I believe I said something about hormones," she said, moving in to kiss him again.

As they broke apart, Troy looked at the computer screen, "Another minivan, huh?" He shrugged, "It is the only thing that'll hold all four of them."

"I'm glad you're seeing things my way," she said, moving in to kiss him again. They would have deepened the kiss, had the phone not interrupted them.

"We always get phone calls at the worst times," Troy said as he went to pick up the phone.

"I agree."

He smiled. "Hello…yes, this is Troy Bolton…yes, she's my daughter; what is going on," he asked, looking up at Sharpay who seemed worried. He cupped the phone with his hand, "The kids' school," he said. "Yes, I'm still here…she did, huh?" He shook his head and sighed, "Yes, we'll be right there, thank you." He hung up and looked at Sharpay who was looking as though she was going to have a panic attack. "Relax, it was the school," he said.

"What happened, and which daughter was it about," Sharpay asked, looking at him expectantly.

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**I think I'm getting good at these little cliffhangers. ;-) So who is it and what happened? Even I'm still trying to think of that one, LOL. So please send in your reviews with ideas (or just general reviews; trust me, I love all reviews!) as to who it might be and what's wrong with them. Okay, that's it for tonight! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for the reviews! They are truly appreciated. Here is chapter 8, along with the answers to your questions!**

**A/N: Thank you to nneessssaa for the idea as to who the phone call was about!**

**A/N #2: A couple of you had been asking how old Troy and Sharpay are; Okay when I wrote "The Additions" they were around 30. They adopted Larissa and Ana when Larissa was 3 and Ana was 1; since Larissa is 9 and Ana is 7, that would make them about 36 years old right now.  Hope this helps!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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**_Just Like Us, Ch. 8_**

"_Hello…yes, this is Troy Bolton…yes, she's my daughter; what is going on," he asked, looking up at Sharpay who seemed worried. He cupped the phone with his hand, "The kids' school," he said. "Yes, I'm still here…she did, huh?" He shook his head and sighed, "Yes, we'll be right there, thank you." He hung up and looked at Sharpay who was looking as though she was going to have a panic attack. "Relax, it was the school," he said._

"_What happened, and which daughter was it about," Sharpay asked, looking at him expectantly._

Troy sighed and looked at the phone once more before looking up at Sharpay. "It was about Ana…apparently she…" He shook his head, still in disbelief.

"Troy, what happened to her," Sharpay yelled.

"She…she got into a fight at school…sort of."

Sharpay's eyes widened, "A fight? Ana? _Our_ Ana? Troy, what the hell are you talking about?"

He took her hand and led her to the garage, "They didn't give me any precise details. They just said to come to the school and pick her up."

She got into the car and looked at Troy, "This isn't like her; this isn't like her at all."

He nodded, "I know." They drove to the school in silence.

When they arrived, Sharpay and Troy hurried out of the car and walked into the school office.

Sharpay looked at the secretary, "We just received a phone call concerning our daughter, Anastasia Bolton."

The secretary looked up and nodded, "She is in here," she said, leading the Troy and Sharpay to one of the two smaller offices that were across from Mrs. Greene's (the principal) office. She opened the door and let the two in. "I'll be up front if you need anything," she said, walking away.

Sharpay walked over to Ana who was in tears; she was holding an ice pack on her forehead, her bottom lip was bleeding and her hair was messed up. "Ana, what happened?"

She shook her head, unable to find the words. She took a deep breath and looked at her parents, "They…they made fun of me…at…lunch," she said as she started to cry harder.

Troy sat down next to her, "Why are you bleeding and why do you have…" He removed the ice pack for a moment, "…A rather large bruise on your forehead, honey?"

"Casey…she said I was stupid…I told her to stop it," she said.

Sharpay nodded, "What happened after that?"

"She said, 'make me,' and then she…" Ana was no longer able to find the words to tell her parents what happened.

Mrs. Greene appeared at the door, "Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, thank you for coming," she said walking into the room and closing the door behind her.

Sharpay stood up, her hand on Ana's shoulder. "What happened to my daughter?"

Mrs. Greene sat down across from Troy, Sharpay, and Ana. "From what I saw, two, maybe three girls were ganging up on Ana here," she said, shaking her head.

"You mean hitting," Troy asked, looking from Mrs. Greene to Ana. "Did they hit her?"

She looked at Ana, "Why don't you tell your parents how it started?"

"I…um…hit her," she said, looking at the table.

"You hit one of your classmates," Troy said in shock. "Honey I know you were angry, but hitting isn't the…"

"They were mean! They said mean stuff, daddy!" She cried into his shirt.

Sharpay looked at Mrs. Greene, "How exactly did Ana's lip and head get hurt?"

"Well, after Ana hit one of the girls, she hit Ana back; on the forehead." She sighed, "To make a long story short, Ana pushed the girls away from her, thus creating pandemonium in the hallway. The other girl pushed Ana down, which is how she hurt her lip. Ana then kicked one of the girls in the shin and shouted at her to go away," she explained.

Ana was now sobbing. "They…hurt…my…feelings," she cried. "They said I was…stupid," she said, burying her face in Troy's shirt.

He put a hand through her hair and looked up at Mrs. Greene, "So what happens now?"

She sighed, "Ana is going to be suspended from school until the end of the week," she said firmly.

"And the other girls; what about them," Sharpay said, becoming defensive. "Do they get off scot-free?"

"No, since they did the same thing to Ana, they will also be suspended." She paused, "Ana will not be allowed back on the soccer team…yes, I know practice has not started yet, but I cannot break the school rules."

Sharpay nodded, "I understand," she said quietly. "Is she off the team for good, or just for a week or so?"

"We'll see how things go next week; if Ana behaves, then she will be allowed to come back the week after next; if she doesn't, then she is off the team. Period."

Troy sighed, "Okay…thank you," he said, standing up while still holding Ana who was still in tears. He looked at Sharpay, "Ready?"

She nodded, "Yes." She turned to Mrs. Greene, "Thank you." She followed Troy out of the office and out to the car.

Once again, the ride home was silent. Ana simply stared out the window, afraid of what was going to happen when they got home.

Troy pulled into the driveway, shut off the car, and looked at Sharpay and Ana, "Come on, let's go inside," he said flatly.

Ana reluctantly got out of the car and walked into the house with her parents.

Sharpay looked at her, "Ana please go into the living room; we're going to have a little talk," she said firmly.

She did as her mom said, not wanting to get into any more trouble than she was already in. She sat down on the couch, her parents sitting on either side of her. Ana looked down at her feet, "I'm sorry mommy," she said quietly, feeling the tears begin to fall down her cheeks again.

Sharpay sighed, "Ana you know better than to get into fights; I know that those girls hurt your feelings, but hitting is not, nor will it ever be the answer."

"But they really, really hurt my feelings! You didn't hear them," she said, now freely crying again.

Troy went and got a tissue box. He took one out and handed it to Ana, "But that doesn't make it right, Ana."

"What did they say to you," Sharpay asked.

Ana looked up at her mom, "They said I was stupid and…and…I didn't belong with them," she cried. "Mommy, they were really mean!"

Sharpay's motherly instinct took over and she held Ana as she cried. After a few minutes of just holding her, Sharpay looked at her, "You used your words first, didn't you," she asked, knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it from her daughter.

She nodded, "I said 'stop it' and they wouldn't!" She turned to Troy, "I promise I used my words, daddy!" She shook her head, "But they laughed at me."

Troy sighed, "Why did they laugh at you after you told them to stop?"

"Because they're mean," she said.

"So that's when you hit them," Troy asked.

She nodded, "They made me really mad, daddy!"

"I understand that honey, but that still doesn't make hitting right; you should have gone to your teacher," he said softly yet firmly.

She nodded, "I know," she said quietly.

Sharpay sighed, "Well, even though you knew it was wrong, you did it anyway, thus getting yourself suspended from school for two days," she said as she stood up. "I'm afraid that your daddy and I are going to have to ground you," she said.

Troy nodded in agreement, "Your mom's right; fighting is wrong and this could have been avoided, had you gone to a teacher."

"But my teacher is stupid!" She regretted ever saying those words.

"That's it," Sharpay said, having had enough, "Time to go upstairs, young lady. I will not have you calling your teacher names in this house."

Ana frowned and looked at Troy, "But…she is!"

He shook his head, "Ana, go to your room please."

She stood up and walked up the stairs and slammed her door shut.

"What is going on with her, Troy," Sharpay asked as she sat back down.

He shrugged, "She's sensitive and I guess when they made fun of her, it just really got to her."

She nodded, "Yeah…"

* * *

**3:15 PM…**

Troy pulled up in front of the school to pick the other three children up; yet when he got out of the car, he only saw two. "Where is Kayleigh?"

Larissa shrugged, "She said she didn't feel good."

Zachary nodded, "Yeah, and then she ran inside."

"I see," Troy said. "When did she go inside…and why didn't you go with her," he asked Larissa.

"Just now and she ran too fast for me…plus Zachary would have been alone," Larissa said.

He nodded, "Okay," he said, starting to walk to the door.

Kayleigh then emerged and saw Troy and ran to him, "Daddy I got sick," she said, crying into his arms.

He picked her up and felt her forehead, "Well, you do feel a little warm," he said as he helped her into the car. "Did you feel like this all day?"

She shook her head, "No, it just happened," she aid, still in tears.

Larissa shrugged and shook her head, "Sisters." As she climbed into the car, Troy had to stifle a laugh.

"Come on Zach," Troy said as he helped his son into the car."

"Wait daddy, we forgot Ana," Larissa said as she looked at the school, waiting for her sister to come out.

"She's already at home," he said as he began to drive home.

"Daddy, stop!" Kayleigh yelled.

Troy stopped the car and looked back at her, "What's the matter?"

She looked over at Larissa who undid her seatbelt and opened the door for her. Kayleigh ran out of the car and got sick in the grass.

Troy got out of the car and walked over to her, "Looks like you have a bug," he said, picking her back up after she was finished. As he did, however, he noticed that she was considerably warmer than before.

"I'm sorry daddy," she cried.

"It's okay," he said as he placed her back into the car. "Think you can make it the rest of the way home," he asked.

She nodded, still in tears.

"All right," he said as he started to drive again. Once they got home, however, Larissa saw that her sister was looking even worse.

"Uh oh," she said as she unbuckled her seatbelt to let Kayleigh out of the car.

Kayleigh raced inside, her sister, brother, and father close behind.

"Where did Kayleigh go," Larissa asked, looking around.

"She's over here," Sharpay said, a worried look on her face. "Troy, did you happen to notice how warm she is?"

He nodded, "Yes; on the way home when she got sick," he said, feeling her forehead again. "She's warmer than she was before."

Sharpay lay Kayleigh down on the couch in the den, "Larissa, please go get the thermometer for me."

She nodded and found it in the kitchen, "Here mommy."

"Thank you," she said as she stuck the thermometer into Kayleigh's ear. After a minute, it beeped. Sharpay took it out and read it, "104.5," she nearly yelled. "Troy, we have to get her to the hospital."

"Daddy is Kayleigh okay," Zachary asked, worried about his twin sister.

"She'll be okay," Troy said as he picked his son up. "But we have to take her to the hospital just to be sure." He looked up at Sharpay, "Is Ana still in her room?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Okay." He set Zachary down and walked upstairs to Ana's room and opened the door a crack, "Hi there," he said, walking into the room.

She looked up from her pillow, "Daddy I'm sorry for what I said before!"

He nodded, "Okay, but we don't have time for that right now," he said as he helped her get her shoes on.

"What's wrong?"

"Your sister…Kayleigh is very sick and we're taking her to the hospital," he said as he got the second shoe on. "Okay, let's go."

Ana complied and hurried down the stairs, "Kayleigh, what's wrong?"

"I feel yucky," she cried.

"Come on, let's go," Troy said, getting every child out of the house.

As they drove to the hospital, Sharpay looked at Troy, "This may sound very weird, but do you remember when Katie was sick like this; only she wasn't throwing up?"

He nodded, "Sort of, why?"

"Well, I think that is what's wrong with Kayleigh." She looked back at Kayleigh who looked as though she was going to be sick again. "How close are we?"

"Closer than you think," he said as he pulled up to their second home, also known as the ER.

Sharpay got out of the car and walked around to the back to get Kayleigh out; she rushed her inside and into the bathroom.

Troy parked the car and walked inside, all three children in tow. He picked up his cell phone, since they were still at the entrance and called his parents, but no one picked up. "Great," he said, trying to think of who else to call. He then tried Sharpay's father, but his voice mail picked up. He sighed, "This is just great," he said to himself, trying to think of who else there was to call to pick up the kids. He then dialed Ryan and Gabi's number. "Gabi," he said, relieved that someone actually picked up, "Yeah, it's Troy…I'm fine, but Kayleigh's pretty sick…we're at the hospital…listen, could you come down and pick up…thank you," he said, relieved. "Okay, see you then." He looked at the kids, "Your Aunt Gabi is going to come get you," he said as they walked into the waiting room where Sharpay and Kayleigh already were.

"Did you call your parents," she asked as he walked over to her.

"No; no one was home so I called Ryan and Gabi; she said she'd be here in a few minutes to…" He was interrupted by his cell phone. Since they weren't allowed inside, he walked back to the entrance, "Hello…what…no, that's okay, Gabi; that happens to all of us," he said, looking over at his family. "No, don't feel bad about it, it's all right…yes I'm sure. Tell her to feel better…okay, bye." He hung up and walked back inside. "Okay, looks like the kids will be here for a while."

"Aunt Gabi's not coming," Larissa asked.

He shook his head, "Nope; your aunt's mom isn't feeling well so Gabi is going to check on her," he said more so to Sharpay than to Larissa.

"Don't worry daddy, we'll be okay," Larissa said, giving him a small smile.

He nodded, "Thank you." Now all they had to do was wait.

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**So what do you think is wrong with Kayleigh? I know many of you probably have a good idea. ;-) Please review and thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay I know I just posted this chapter, but I'm reposting it; I made a mistake that was just pointed out to me (it was one word...but I've got a type-A personality ;-)), so I'm redoing the chapter. :)**

**Thank you for reviewing! It is truly much appreciated. Also, you all are very good guessers, LOL. I also had something more in mind at the last second. : )**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 9**_

After another five minutes of waiting, a nurse came out to the waiting room, "Kayleigh Bolton," she asked, looking around.

Sharpay stood up, still holding Kayleigh, who was now looking very pale and was half asleep. "That's us," she said as she walked over to the nurse.

The nurse looked at the other kids, "I'm sorry, but your other children are going to have to remain out here."

Troy rubbed his temples. A migraine was coming on fast. Just as he was about to say something, Ryan came through the ER doors along with Theresa and Michael. Troy looked up, "Hey, what are you doing here? I thought that…"

"Gabi went to her mother's? She did," Ryan said, "She called me before she left and told me what was going on, so I came home from work, told her to take Angie with her, and then came over here," he said quickly.

Sharpay walked over to Ryan, "Thank you so much," she said, hugging him. "You're a life saver."

He nodded, "It's no trouble," he said as he looked at Kayleigh. "She doesn't look so good."

She rolled her eyes, "Gee, really?" She looked back at the nurse, "Okay, my husband and I are ready." She then turned to Larissa, Ana, and Zachary, "You guys are going to go with your Uncle Ryan, okay?"

"But I want to stay here," Larissa said.

Troy shook his head, "I'm sorry honey, but you would be made to wait out here anyway; we will call when we know something, all right? Your sister will be okay."

She nodded and hugged him, "Okay daddy." She turned to Sharpay, "Bye mommy."

Zachary did the same, but Ana simply held back. She hadn't said a word the entire car ride to the hospital and had yet to utter another word.

Troy walked over to hug her, "We'll see you soon, all right?"

No answer.

He sighed, "She's still mad at us about this afternoon," he said aside to Sharpay. Or at least that is what he thought.

"Anyway," Ryan said, "I'll take them now; come on guys, are you ready?"

Larissa nodded, "Yeah, I guess," she said, taking Ana's hand, since she was still just standing there.

Sharpay and Troy then focused their attention back on Kayleigh, who was looking even worse now. "Troy, what's going on," she asked worriedly.

"We're about to find out," he said as he and Sharpay followed the nurse to a room.

The doctor soon walked into the room and was about to ask what was wrong when he saw Kayleigh, "What's been going on with her," he asked as he felt her skin, checked her mouth, and forehead.

"She's been throwing up for the last hour or so," Sharpay said, taking her daughter's hand. "What's wrong with her; is it her appendix?"

He pressed on her stomach, seeing if there was much of a reaction to pain. Kayleigh groaned as the doctor pressed on her appendix. He looked up at them, "It seems as though it is indeed her appendix," he said. "How long has she been throwing up?"

Troy shrugged, "It started about an hour or so ago."

He nodded, "I see; well, not only does she have appendicitis, but she has a moderate case of dehydration from not receiving any fluids."

Sharpay looked down at Kayleigh, "You can help her with that though, right?"

"Yes, but we need to move quickly, since her appendix is distended."

"What does that mean," she asked, now very worried about Kayleigh.

Troy looked at her, "I think it means that it's swollen."

The doctor nodded, "That's right; and when an appendix is swollen, that is never a good sign, so we need to operate right now."

Sharpay nodded, "Just…help her," she said, close to tears.

* * *

In the car, Larissa looked over at Ana, who seemed to be in a daze. "Ana, what's wrong?"

But Ana didn't answer; instead, she seemed to be focusing on the rain drops that were hitting the window of the car.

"Ana, earth to Ana," Larissa said. "Can you hear me?"

Finally, Ana turned to her sister, "Huh?"

"What's wrong," she asked, now worried.

Ana shrugged and looked at the window again.

Ryan pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, "Ana, what's wrong sweetie," he asked as he helped her out.

"I…need to do homework," she said to no one in particular. "It's time for homework."

"What's wrong with her," Theresa asked.

Ryan picked her up, "I think I have an idea; let's just go inside first," he said as they walked into the house. He set her down, "Ana, do you normally do homework right now," he asked, looking from her to his watch, which read 4:30.

She nodded, looking at the wall. "I have to do homework."

"She sounds like she turned stupid or something," Larissa said.

Ryan looked stunned, "Larissa, I don't ever want to hear you say that about your sister!"

"Well, she never acts like this at home, except when she gets upset," she said. "Then she just sounds…stupid."

He sighed, "You may go into the den now," he said, taking Larissa's hand. "You never say things like that to or about your sister; or anyone for that matter," he said sternly.

Ana sat down on the floor and started to cry, "I have to do homework!"

Theresa sat down next to her cousin and looked up at Ryan who had just walked out of the den, "Is she okay, dad," the eleven year old asked.

He nodded, "Yes; from what I have read, this is one of the symptoms of Autism. Sometimes children need to have the same routine everyday or else they get…upset."

"Ana, don't cry," Zachary said as he hugged Ana. He hadn't understood a word his uncle had just said, but did understand that his sister was sad.

Ryan smiled, "That's very sweet of you, Zachary," he said as he watched the little boy look at his sister. "She'll be okay though, don't worry." He looked at Ana, "What do you normally do after your homework," he asked.

She looked at him and started to cry again, "I want mommy and daddy!"

"That's not what he asked, Ana," Larissa yelled from the den.

Ryan sighed and walked back into the den, "That is enough, Larissa." He was going to say more, but the phone rang. He looked at Ana, "Maybe that is your mommy or daddy," he said, trying to make Ana smile…it didn't work. He walked over to the phone and picked it up, "Hello?"

"Ryan, it's me," Sharpay said from the other end.

"Hey, how is Kayleigh," he asked.

She sighed, "She's got a very swollen appendix, so they took her up to surgery," she said, calmly. "She is also very dehydrated from getting sick so much…but the doctor has assured us that as long as they get her appendix out now, which they are doing, she'll be fine, but will need to have an IV and be given a lot of fluids," she said.

He nodded, "Well I'm glad that she's going to be all right," he said, relieved. "Listen, I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but Ana's autism seems to be taking its toll on her at the moment and Larissa…well…she's not exactly being the nicest sister," he said, putting it mildly.

"What's wrong with Ana," she asked quickly, now worried about her other daughter.

He explained what Ana was doing and how she now wanted to be with her parents. "And now she just wants to be with you two," he said.

She nodded, "This happened when got into trouble for lying about her sister a couple of years ago," she said, remembering how Ana went into a daze and then started to flap her hands instead of talking.

"What did you do about it," he asked, wanting to help her as much as possible without troubling his sister and brother-in-law.

"All we could think of was to talk to her and explain that everything was going to be all right; that seemed to settle her down a bit."

He nodded, "All right, I'll try that," he said, looking at his niece who was still rather upset.

"Thanks, we really appreciate you doing that," she said with a small smile. "What did Larissa do," she asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"She called Ana…_stupid_," he whispered, so not to upset Ana again.

Sharpay looked at Troy, who was only hearing Sharpay's end of the conversation. She had been writing down little notes for him to follow.

"Great," Troy said when he saw what Sharpay wrote.

She nodded and got back to Ryan, "Well, it looks as though we're extending her little punishment."

He had no idea what she was talking about, "Okay…"

"I'll explain to you later…listen, I have to go; the doctor's back…bye." She hung up quickly.

"Bye," Ryan said as he hung up. He walked over to Theresa who was talking to Ana.

"…And then we had to go into double overtime," she said.

Ryan smiled, "Talking about your volleyball tournament again?"

She nodded, "Ana's into sports, so I thought I'd talk to her about it," she said, standing up.

Ana looked at Ryan, "I want my mommy and daddy," she said, still upset, but not crying as hard anymore.

"I know," he said as he picked her up. He walked her and Zachary into the family room. Michael followed them, since he didn't feel like being near his cousin (Larissa) who was frowning at him through the den.

* * *

Sharpay stood up, as did Troy. "Is the operation over," Sharpay asked, holding on to Troy's hand.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, and Kayleighis just fine," he said with a small smile. "She is, however, still very dehydrated, but we have her hooked up to an IV that is giving her fluids, so by tomorrow afternoon, she should be nearly as good as new again."

"Thank you," Troy said as he shook the doctor's hand. "When will we get to take her home?"

"Well since her appendix was distended, I want to keep her for an extra day, so I'd say three days, just to make sure that none of the bacteria from her appendix made its way into her bloodstream," he explained.

Sharpay grabbed Troy's other hand, "B-Bacteria? What if some of it did," she asked, once again worried.

"It's all right, Mrs. Bolton, we already have her on a very strong antibiotic to keep anything from happening."

She nodded, "But what if that doesn't work," she asked.

"Sharpay," Troy said, taking her shoulders, "She is a fighter; she'll be just fine. Do you remember when she was born? How it took her a little longer to start crying, but that she did anyway?"

"Yes," she said in a whisper.

"Well, think of it like that," he said as he tried to comfort her.

"Okay." She sat back down and took a deep breath. "What are we going to do about the kids tonight," she asked. "Kayleigh is going to be scared being by herself; she's going to want one or both of us to stay with her."

He nodded, "You should stay; you two have that special mother-daughter bond," he said with a smile.

She smiled, "Thank you," she said, relief in her voice.

**30 MINUTES LATER…**

"Excuse me, Troy and Sharpay Bolton," a nurse asked as she walked over to them.

"Yes, that's us," Troy said as he nudged Sharpay, who had fallen asleep.

Sharpay sat up and looked over at the nurse, "How is Kayleigh?"

"She's in recovery; that is what I came out here to tell you," she said.

Troy nodded, "Thank you; what room?"

"Follow me, please." She led them through the hall and into one of the recovery rooms that had two beds, one of which was empty. The other held Kayleigh, whose eyes were closed, but whose color had come back to her face. She was hooked up to an IV, like the doctor had told them she would be.

"Thank you," Sharpay said as she walked into the room and sat down in the chair beside the bed. She put a hand through Kayleigh's hair, "Hi sweetie," she said quietly.

Kayleigh's eyes fluttered open and she looked at her parents, "Mommy," she said hoarsely.

"I'm here; so is daddy," she said.

"Hi there," he said as he kissed her forehead. "How do you feel?"

She shrugged, "My tummy doesn't feel sick as bad," she said.

"That's good," Sharpay said. "You had us worried there."

"When can I come home," she asked.

"A few days," Troy answered.

Kayleigh's eyes filled with tears, "I have to stay," she asked tearfully.

"Yes but mommy is going to stay with you; you know that we would never leave you here alone," Troy said with a small smile.

Even though she was glad her mom was going to stay, she still started to cry, "I don't want to stay!"

"Shh, it'll be all right," Sharpay said softly.

Troy looked at the two, "I had better go and get the kids from Ryan and Gabi's."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll call you later," she said as she kissed him goodbye.

"All right." He looked at Kayleigh, "And I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay daddy." She hugged him and watched as he left the room.

* * *

Troy pulled up into Ryan and Gabi's driveway and got out of the car. He wasn't looking forward to having to deal with Larissa's actions…again. He walked to the door and rang the doorbell.

Ryan answered the door, "Hi there," he said. "So I heard that the surgery went just fine," he said, receiving an odd look from Troy. "Sharpay just called," he said.

"Oh, right. Um yeah, things went just fine with Kayleigh," he said with a small smile. "How's Ana doing?"

Ryan led him into the house and to the family room, "She hasn't said much of anything except that she wants you and Sharpay and that she's sorry for whatever it is that she did at school."

Troy nodded, "And Larissa?"

He shrugged, "She's doing pretty well; she apologized to Ana for what she said to her earlier."

"Good; that makes my job a little easier then. How about Zachary; how's he doing?"

Ryan pointed to the couch, "He fell asleep about half an hour ago."

Troy smiled at Zachary who was sucking his thumb (something he only did when he thought no one was looking). He looked back at Ryan, "Thanks again for watching them; how's Gabi's mom by the way?"

"She'll be fine…Gabi called about an hour ago and said she was going to spend the night there, just to make sure she's okay; even though she will be fine." Ryan shrugged, "Gabi's always been a little overprotective of her mom since it's been just the two of them ever since Gabi was six."

Troy nodded, "Well I'm glad she's all right." He walked over to Ana who was sitting on the couch half asleep. "Hi sweetie."

She looked at him, "Daddy," she said with a small smile. "I'm sorry daddy," she said, starting to cry again.

"I know you are." He picked her up and hugged her. "Want to go home?" She nodded, "Okay, let's get your brother and sister then." Troy walked over to Zachary, set Ana down and picked him up and then walked into Theresa's room where Larissa was, "Hi honey."

She looked up at him and then at the floor, "Hi."

"Come on, let's go home," he said, not wanting to punish her further right now.

"Okay," she said, avoiding eye contact with him. Troy thanked Ryan again and then got the kids into the car and drove home.

* * *

**Whew! Sorry for the wait; I kept getting interrupted by the storm we had…severe thunderstorm that was capable of producing tornadoes…hmm, now why does that sound familiar? ;-) Anyway, a little A/N about Ana: The symptoms that she was showing are actual symptoms of autism. I know I haven't written about her having these symptoms before, but I didn't have much of a reason to; anyway, I read that when kids who are autistic get upset, that it is possible for them to start feeling they symptoms, especially if they are leading a fairly normal life (which is what Ana's doing). I just wanted to clear that up. And I'm not a doctor, so of course it wasn't completely accurate! **

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Once again, thank you for the reviews! The medical stuff wasn't very hard to find, but it was hard to try to put it down in writing, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I am glad that you all enjoyed it!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 10**_

Once Troy got to the house, he changed Zachary into his pajamas (since he was still asleep) and placed him in bed. He then walked back downstairs where both Ana and Larissa were.

Ana looked up at her dad, "I'm sorry, daddy," she said as she tried not to start crying again. She had cried the whole way home.

Troy walked over to her and picked her up, "Don't worry about that right now, sweetie," he said as he kissed her forehead.

She looked up at him and wiped her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm tired," she said softly.

"All right; let's go upstairs and get ready for bed then, since it's already 8:00."

She nodded, "Okay." After she changed into her pajamas, she brushed her teeth, and took the ponytail holder out of her hair. Ana then climbed into bed.

Troy sat down beside her, "I know that today was kind of rough, but tomorrow will be better; I promise, okay?"

"Okay," she said, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow honey. Right now, you just get some rest," he said as he pulled the covers over her.

Ana looked over at Kayleigh's bed, which was empty, "Kayleigh has to be here too…where's Kayleigh?"

Troy sighed, "She's at the hospital, sweetie. She'll be coming home in a few days and then she will be back in that bed…tomorrow, though, we are going to visit her. Does that sound good to you?"

She smiled softly, "Yes."

"Good." He kissed her goodnight, turned off the light, and walked downstairs where Larissa was waiting for him. He walked over to her, "Come on, let's go into the den and talk," he said in a normal tone.

She nodded and wiped her eyes, "Okay." She followed him into the den. Once in there, she looked at him, "I'm sorry daddy…I didn't mean to break my promise," she said through teary eyes.

"I know you are," he said softly, bringing her close to him.

"I just…I was mad," she said, wiping her eyes again.

He handed her a tissue, "Why were you mad?"

"I wanted to stay with you and mommy," she said. "And then Uncle Ryan only paid attention to Ana…"

"And you thought that he didn't love you," he finished for her.

She nodded, "I didn't mean to call her stupid, daddy!" She looked at him, hoping he wasn't going to punish her further.

He sighed, "Even if you didn't mean to call her that, you still did and therefore, you broke your promise…part of it anyway," he said, looking at her.

"I want to be in the play," she cried. "I want to acting lessons too!"

"I know you do, but you promised us that you would behave for a full week; you still had five days left." He thought for a moment, "Here's what's going to happen: if you can behave from now until next Wednesday without getting into trouble, your mommy and I will talk about the play and acting lessons."

She frowned, "But rehearsals start on Monday, not Wednesday! That's not fair!"

"On the contrary, it's quite fair; it is more than fair, young lady. I could have easily said that you aren't allowed to do either one or that you would have to choose which one you want to do," he said, looking pointedly at her.

She crossed her arms, "But I didn't mean to call her stupid!" She yelled.

"Larissa, lower your voice or I will make you choose, between the two," he said crossly.

"Fine," she said, her voice returning back to normal.

"Thank you," he said. "Now I think it's time for you to start getting ready for bed; we're going to see your sister tomorrow afternoon and I don't want to have to drag you out of bed for school…again."

"Okay," she said as she got up. Before leaving the room, she turned and hugged him, "I'm sorry daddy."

He smiled to himself, glad that he seemed to get through to her, "Thank you." He kissed her head, "Now go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be there in a few minutes to tuck you in."

She nodded, "Okay." She wiped her eyes once more and walked out of the room and up the stairs to her room.

* * *

Sharpay walked back into Kayleigh's room the next afternoon and saw that she was crying. She hurried over to Kayleigh, "What's wrong honey?"

"My tummy feels yucky," she said tearfully. Sharpay nodded and sat Kayleigh up, "Do you feel sick?"

She nodded, "I don't feel good," she said, placing one of her hands over her mouth. Sharpay grabbed a basin that was on the small table near Kayleigh's bed.

"It's okay," she said as Kayleigh got sick. Sharpay pressed the button near Kayleigh's bed to get a nurse to come into the room.

"Is everything all right in here," the nurse asked as she walked into the room.

"My daughter just got sick, so no, not exactly," Sharpay said as she wiped Kayleigh's mouth off. "I thought that this part was over."

"Actually this is quite common," the nurse explained. "Her stomach is reacting to the fluids that are now in her, as well as the antibiotic. Plus, this will occasionally happen especially if the operation was done using a general anesthetic." She took the basin from Sharpay, "If you'd like, I can go get her doctor."

She shook her head, "No, that's all right; but does this mean that she needs to change antibiotics?"

"No, not necessarily; as I said earlier, this will happen if the operation was done with a general anesthetic."

Sharpay nodded, "Okay, thank you," she said as she comforted Kayleigh, who was crying softly.

"You're welcome," she said as she left the room. "If you need anything else, just press the button or come find someone," she said with a small smile.

"Thank you." Sharpay looked at Kayleigh, "You're going to be fine, sweetie."

Kayleigh looked at her mom, "I want daddy," she said as she lay back down.

"He's coming, and so are your sisters and brother," Sharpay said with a smile. "They can't wait to see you."

Kayleigh smiled and looked at the door, "Daddy!"

Troy smiled, "There she is," he said as he, Larissa, Ana, and Zachary walked into the room. "How is the patient this morning," he asked as he kissed her head.

"My tummy felt yucky," she said with a frown.

"She just got sick, but the nurse said that would happen, since she was so sick yesterday," Sharpay said, getting up to kiss her husband. She looked over at Ana, who seemed to be happy to see her mom. "How are you doing, honey," she asked as she walked over to her.

Ana smiled, "I missed you mommy," she said as she hugged her.

"Did you get any sleep last night," she asked, noticing the bags under Ana's eyes.

Ana shook her head, "Kayleigh wasn't there."

Sharpay seemed confused for a moment, but then nodded, understand what she meant. "Well Kayleigh will be back in a couple of days and then things will go back to how they should be," she said. She then looked over at Zachary who was mesmerized by all of the machines in the room. "And how are you doing?"

"I tied my shoes, mommy!" He showed her his shoelaces, which were now untied. He frowned, "Not fair! I tied them!"

Sharpay smiled, "Don't worry, I believe you; I know how hard you're working on that," she said as she retied his shoes. She kissed his forehead, "Were you a good boy last night for your uncle?"

He nodded, "Yes," he said proudly.

"Good job," she said with a smile. She then looked over at Larissa who was sitting on the other bed as though she didn't want her mom to see her. Sharpay walked over to her and sat beside her, "So I heard you had a bit of a rough evening," she said.

Larissa nodded and looked at her mom, "I didn't mean to break my promise mommy," she said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"I know you didn't," she said, remembering the conversation she had on the phone with Troy the previous night. He had explained what Larissa's new punishment was. "I just don't want you to do that again; I really want you to be able to be in the play and participate in acting classes."

She nodded, "I know," she said softly. She got up and walked over to Kayleigh, "Are you done getting sick?"

"Larissa, what kind of thing is that to say to your sister," Troy asked.

"I'm just wondering," she said. She looked back at Kayleigh, "Does your tummy feel better?"

Kayleigh nodded, "A little bit."

"I guess that's good," Larissa said with a small smile.

* * *

**2 Days Later…**

"It looks as though the antibiotic we gave her has worked," Kayleigh's doctor said. "She is free to go," he said as the IV was removed from Kayleigh's hand.

"Mommy it hurts," she said as the IV was removed. She had been squeezing Sharpay's hand with her free hand.

"It's over though, look," Sharpay said, gesturing to the IV that was no longer in Kayleigh's hand. "And you did very well," she said with a smile.

The doctor nodded, "Yes, indeed you did, Kayleigh. I must say, you are quite a trooper," he said with a smile.

Kayleigh smiled, "I'm a big girl!"

"Yes, you are a big girl," Sharpay said as she helped Kayleigh out of the bed and into the wheelchair. "Guess who's waiting for us downstairs."

She thought for a moment, "Um…daddy?"

She nodded, "That's right; daddy and everyone else is waiting for you," she said as she took the release papers from the doctor. "Thank you very much for everything."

He nodded, "Of course." He then looked over at Kayleigh, "And you stay well, okay?"

Kayleigh nodded, "I will."

As Sharpay wheeled Kayleigh to the main entrance of the hospital, she groaned. There was Troy with Zachary and Ana next to him and Larissa, who was pouting and sitting at the other end of the room.

Troy looked up and saw Sharpay and Kayleigh, "Well, look who's here," he said, getting up.

"Daddy!" Kayleigh bounced out of the wheelchair and ran to Troy. "I get to go home now, daddy!"

He smiled, "I know you do." He picked her up and kissed her head and set her back down. He then looked at Sharpay, "I know what you're thinking: why is Larissa sitting all the way over there while Zach and Ana are over here, right?"

"It did cross my mind, yes," she said, looking over at Larissa.

"Well on the way over here, Zach was singing a new song he had learned in school, which apparently was irritating Larissa. She, instead of telling him to quiet down, hit him and then told him to shut up," he explained. "So her punishment is to now choose what she wants to do: acting lessons or the play."

Sharpay sighed, "Wonderful." She walked over to Larissa and sat down, "So, I heard what happened."

"He was being annoying," she said angrily.

Since she didn't feel like getting into an argument with her daughter, especially in a hospital, she took Larissa's hand and stood her up, "Come on, we're going home now," she said flatly. "We will talk about this when we get home."

* * *

**Cross Residence…**

**(A/N: Yep, it's been a while, hasn't it? I thought it was time to revisit them.)**

Jason walked up to Katie's room with a piece of paper in his hand. He was not happy. "May I come in," he asked her.

"Yes," she replied from her desk.

He walked into the room, "Want to tell me what this is," he asked, showing her the paper.

She looked at it, "Uh oh…"

"Yeah, big uh oh, Katie," he said as he sat down on her bed. "Since when do you not do your homework; or a research paper for that matter?"

"I had trouble with it," she said softly, looking down at her feet.

He sighed, "You could have come to your mom or me, and you know that." He looked at the paper again, "And it says here that you had three weeks to work on it."

"It was hard, okay?" She said loudly.

"Do not raise your voice, Katherine." He took a deep breath, "What's going on here? First you get a D on your Math test and now you don't turn in an English assignment. Is there something you want to tell me?"

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**Hmm, Katie is in trouble…it's not like her to get into trouble. What do you think is going on? Oh, and I found out that you can get sick after having your appendix removed, if you have a general anesthetic. I love having a nurse for a mom, LOL. Anyway, please review and any suggestions about Katie are welcome! Or for any plot here for that matter! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay I'm writing a little more of Jason/Kelsi/Katie in this chapter. The other was kind of an introduction to the 'storyline' if you will. **

**A/N: A BIG thank you to whalegaldragoness for some great ideas! Thank you!**

**A/N #2: DRAMA WARNING! You may need some tissues…**

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I also don't own the song "Slipped Away" sung by Avril Lavigne.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 11**_

"_Do not raise your voice, Katherine." He took a deep breath, "What's going on here? First you get a D on your Math test and now you don't turn in an English assignment. Is there something you want to tell me?"_

Katie just sat there for a moment, not saying anything. She looked at her dad, "Even if I asked for help, it's not like you would have listened anyway," she said angrily.

"What are you talking about? Of course we would have helped you," he said.

She shook her head, "When? You and mom are always with Madison now; you never have any time for me anymore! It's Madison this, Madison that," she yelled.

Kelsi walked into the room, "What is going on in here? Katie, your sister is trying to take a nap."

Katie threw her hands up in the air, "See?"

Jason walked over to Kelsi, "This was in the mail today," he said as he handed her the paper.

Kelsi read it and then looked up at Katie, "You didn't do your English assignment," she asked, shocked. Katie was never one to not do a homework assignment.

"Why do you even pretend to care," she yelled as she got up and walked to the door, only to be stopped by Jason.

"Don't even think about leaving this room, Katie," he said sternly. He took another deep breath, "Yes, your mom and I have been preoccupied with Madison, but that doesn't mean that you can't come to us for help."

"You didn't help me last week when I asked for you to help me with my science report," she said. "You were both too busy helping Madison get ready for her doctor's appointment," she said as she sat down on her bed.

Kelsi sighed, "I…you're right," she said quietly, sitting beside Katie. "We have been spending a lot of time with her, but think about it, Katie. She's three years old. You're eleven and can do a lot more by yourself, whereas she needs help doing almost everything."

"I still need help with my homework," she said, her voice returning to normal.

Jason nodded, "All right, how about this: we'll schedule some time every evening where it's just us and you, okay?"

She thought for a moment, "I guess…but Maddy can't interrupt."

"Sounds good," Kelsi said. "Now about your English assignment…what were you having the most trouble with?"

She shrugged, "Almost everything."

"Okay, after your sister goes to bed this evening, we'll work on it, how does that sound," Jason asked.

"Okay, I guess."

"Good." He kissed her forehead, "Now please get back to your other homework."

She sighed, "Do I have to?"

"Katherine," Jason warned.

"Sorry," she muttered, going back to her desk.

"Jason," Kelsi said, showing him the bottom of the paper. "Read this."

He took the paper and read it, "Wonderful." He walked over to Katie, "Well, it looks as though you not only failed that assignment, but you cannot make it up either." He shook his head, "I'm sorry Katie, but you're grounded for the weekend."

"What? No! Dad I'm sorry, I really am," Katie said. "Mom, please don't let him ground me!"

Kelsi shook her head, "I'm in agreement with your father, Katie. You should have done this assignment, or at least attempted it; then you would at least get to redo it," she said, clearly disappointed in her daughter.

Katie looked at her homework again, "Whatever."

Jason sighed, "Finish your homework and then stay here until we call you for dinner," he said more than just a bit disappointed in his daughter. He and Kelsi left the room.

* * *

Sharpay carried Kayleigh inside, "Home sweet home," she said as she set her down.

Kayleigh smiled, "I get to sleep in my bed again."

"That's right, and you also get to start rehearsing for the play on Monday," she said.

"I do?"

"Yeah, big whoop," Larissa said flatly.

Sharpay looked at Larissa, "That's it; I have had enough of your attitude. First you call your sister names, then you hit your brother, and now this."

Larissa frowned, "But I didn't…"

"Don't start, young lady, or you will not be able to even choose which activity you do because you will be doing neither one," Sharpay said.

"But mommy I didn't mean to sound…"

"Enough, Larissa," Sharpay said, cutting her off. "I am tired of your back-talking," she said.

Troy decided this was a good time to intervene, "Shar, just let it go, all right?" He looked at Larissa, "Please go start on your homework," he said calmly.

"Fine she said, not wanting to show her parents the fact that she was crying. She walked up to her room and closed the door.

Sharpay turned to Troy, "What was that? You're just going to let her off the hook?"

Troy turned to Ana and Zachary, "Hey why don't you two go and play some basketball in the backyard?"

They smiled, "Okay!" They hurried into the backyard.

Kayleigh decided to follow them, even though she didn't play.

Once they were out of earshot, Troy turned to Sharpay, "What are you talking about, letting her off the hook? Did you not hear what I did with her punishment?"

"Troy, she was talking back just now and…"

He sighed, "You don't know that because you wouldn't let her finish her sentence!"

She shook her head, "I don't want to do this now," she said as she walked to the back door, "Kayleigh, why don't we go unpack your things?"

"Okay mommy," she said as she followed Sharpay up to her room.

* * *

**Saturday Morning…**

Larissa had somehow managed to avoid speaking to Sharpay over the last 48 hours. The only thing she did was what she was told. She looked outside and saw Troy playing basketball with Ana and Zachary. She shook her head and finished her breakfast just as Troy, Ana, and Zach came inside.

"Hi daddy," she said quietly.

He smiled, "Morning sweetie." He kissed her head and got some water for Ana and Zach.

"I'm finished," Sharpay said as she stood up. She had just finished cleaning the kitchen floor.

Larissa finished eating and brought her plate over to the sink. However, as she was walking over to the sink, she dropped her glass, thus spilling the remainder of the orange juice that was in her glass. "Oops," she said as she went to pick up the glass.

"Larissa! I just finished cleaning the floor," Sharpay yelled. "You need to be more careful," she snapped.

"Sharpay, it was an accident," Troy said, trying to calm her down.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh sure, take her side; you're not the one who spent an hour cleaning the floor!"

Troy turned to Larissa, who had tears in her eyes, "Honey why don't you go upstairs," he said quietly.

She nodded and ran up the stairs, fresh tears in her eyes.

He then gestured for Zach and Ana to do the same. Kayleigh was already upstairs looking over her lines (even though there were only two) for the play. After they left, he turned back to Sharpay, "What is your problem? Why are you constantly picking on Larissa?"

She looked pointedly at him, "What are you talking about? I am not picking on her! She made a mess, did you not see that?"

"Yes, but it was an accident," he said calmly.

She took a deep breath, "Yes, you're right. Maybe I should go talk to her."

He nodded, "Good idea, but I think you need to give her some time to cool down."

"Yeah…I guess I'll just go see how Kayleigh's doing with her lines."

As she was walking upstairs, Ana and Zach came back down, "Can we play some more," Ana asked.

Troy smiled, "Sure, let's go." They walked into the backyard and continued playing.

Sharpay walked into Kayleigh's room, "How's it coming," she asked.

"Good, I think…mommy I don't know this word," she said, showing Sharpay the line.

As Sharpay was helping Kayleigh with the lines, Larissa walked into the room, "I think I can..." she started to say.

Sharpay looked up, "No, you are not going to do this again," Sharpay yelled. "I will not allow you to try to ruin your sister's chance at being in a play," she said.

Larissa shook her head, "That's not..." She suddenly realized what her mother was alluding to. "You never loved me as much because I'm not your _real_ daughter. I hate you!" She yelled as she ran down the stairs.

It took Sharpay a minute to understand what her daughter was saying, "Oh no," she said, realizing what was going on. "Larissa," she called, hurrying down the stairs after her.

Larissa didn't listen. She opened the front door and ran out of the house, crying. She ran from the grass, to the sidewalk, and finally to the street.

"Larissa, stop," Sharpay yelled. But it was too late. The red car that was speeding down the street couldn't stop fast enough and ended up hitting Larissa, knocking her over.

"Larissa!" Sharpay screamed, running out into the street.

_The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same  
Ooooh_

The sound of the ambulance sirens filled the air as Sharpay and Troy waited. They had called Troy's parents to watch the kids while they went with Larissa to the hospital.

Sharpay had yet to shed a tear; the hit had left her in shock; she was practically numb, not fully knowing what had just happened. All she knew was her little girl was unconscious and not moving.

_The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same noo...  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day that I found it won't be the same oooh..._

They sat in the Emergency Room waiting room, Sharpay's hand in Troy's. They waited for the doctor to come out and tell them how she was doing. Sharpay just sat there, emotionless; she didn't know what to feel.

The doctor soon came out, "Mr. and Mrs. Bolton?"

Troy and Sharpay stood up, "Yes," Troy said hoarsely.

"Your daughter is going to recover, but…she's…in a coma," he said.

Sharpay could feel her heart sinking. Her little girl…in a coma? How could this be happening? She walked into the room that Larissa was in and saw her just lying there, hooked up to several machines. She was breathing on her own, but she had a broken arm. She sat down in the chair next to her bed, "Larissa," she said as she felt tears fall down her face for the first time that day. It didn't take her long to realize that this was her fault. The tears continued to fall down her face, "Larissa, wake up," she pleaded.

_I had my wake up  
Won't you wake up  
I keep asking why  
And I can't take it  
It wasn't fake  
It happened, you passed by_

"Larissa, please wake up," Sharpay said as she took her daughter's hand.

_The day you slipped away  
Was the day I found it won't be the same noo...  
The day you slipped away  
Was the day that I found it won't be the same oooh..._

She wiped her eyes, "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said as more tears fell down her face. "Larissa, I am so sorry," she cried. "Can you hear me," she asked as she wiped the never ending tears that fell down her face.

_Oooooh  
I hope you can hear me cause I remember it clearly_

"Please forgive me," she pleaded. "Please wake up, Larissa."

Na na, na na na, na na  
I miss you

* * *

**Need more of a cliffhanger than that? Again, thank you to whalegaldragoness for this idea. (Ducking from flying objects) If you are wondering, no, I am NOT killing Larissa. No one is going to die. That much I will tell you. (Once again ducks from flying objects). Please review and thank you for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow, I must say that I was surprised that no one wanted to throw stuff at me after reading chapter 11. ;-) Anyway, thanks for the reviews! Also, I'm sorry I didn't update today; I was with my boyfriend and we pretty much spent the entire day together. :D**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**A/N: Please remember I'm not a doctor, so there is a lot of stuff here that I'm sure isn't medically correct; though I have looked it up.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 12**_

It had been three hours since Sharpay and Troy received the news that Larissa was in a coma. Sharpay was unable to stop crying, knowing that this was her fault; had she only listened to what Larissa had to say, maybe this wouldn't have happened. No, this would have happened; everything was building up to it, and Sharpay knew it.

Troy walked back into the room after having called their family and friends to tell them what had happened. He walked over to Sharpay, who was holding Larissa's hand and trying to hold back more tears.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't beat yourself up for this," he said quietly.

She shook her head, "This is my fault, Troy," she said hoarsely. "Had I listened to her, or simply spent more time with her, this wouldn't have happened," she said as fresh tears made their way down her face as she looked at her little girl who was just lying there, looking almost as if she was sleeping.

He sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed. "The kids um, they're going to stay with my parents tonight," he said, trying to think of something…anything to say.

She nodded, "Okay…Troy, she said that I didn't love her because she's not our 'real' daughter," she said, taking the hand that wasn't holding Larissa's and putting it over her eyes.

"She loves you, and she knows that you love her; but because you've been spending so much time with Kayleigh lately, mainly because she was sick, I think that Larissa began to think that you love her and Zach more than you love Larissa," he said as he took Larissa's other hand.

The doctor walked into the room, "Well, after running several tests, I have some good news and some bad news."

Troy looked up, "What's the bad news?"

"We aren't sure when your daughter will wake up, but that then leads to the good news," he said.

"How is that good news," Sharpay asked, looking up at the doctor.

"I'm sorry, I meant to say that the head trauma she suffered isn't as severe as we initially thought, so she may very well wake up within the next 24 to 48 hours," he explained.

Troy nodded, "But…what if she doesn't?"

"Then it will simply take longer for her to wake up; after looking at her CAT scan several times over, I can honestly tell you that she has suffered a concussion but that the swelling around the brain, which caused the coma, is minimal," he said, trying to reassure the two.

Sharpay didn't say anything; she simply looked at Larissa and placed her head on her chest, crying. "Please wake up, sweetie," she said, crying softly. "Mommy and daddy love you so much."

* * *

**Next Day…**

Sharpay had fallen asleep in the chair that she had occupied ever since she first walked into Larissa's room. Troy had gone to check on the kids for a few hours, but made sure to return as soon as he could. He walked into the room and saw that Sharpay was still holding Larissa's hand. He was going to wake her up, but he knew that she needed some rest. He decided to go call the family to give them another update.

Back in the room, Larissa's eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around, becoming more scared by the second. Her eyes finally settled on her mom, who was sleeping, but holding her hand. _Where am I? What am I doing here,_ she thought to herself.

Sharpay slowly started to wake up. She saw that Larissa's eyes were open. "Larissa!" She wrapped her arms around her daughter, "Oh thank goodness you're all right," she cried.

"Mommy, where am I," she asked, looking around.

"Just a second sweetie," she said as she walked to the door and called for a nurse to come into the room.

Troy could hear Sharpay and ran over to the room, "What's going on…" He looked at Larissa and smiled and hurried over to her, "Hi sweetie," he said, kissing her head. "How do you feel?"

"Where am I, daddy?"

Sharpay soon returned with the doctor, "Look, she woke up," Sharpay said, happiness in her voice.

The doctor walked over to Larissa, "Well hello there. You gave everyone here quite a scare," he said with a smile.

Larissa looked rather confused, "What? What scare…what happened?"

Sharpay walked over to Larissa, "Don't you remember, sweetie," she asked, starting to become worried again.

"Remember what," Larissa asked, thoroughly confused.

Troy looked up at the doctor, "What's going on here? Why can't she remember what happened?"

The doctor looked down at Larissa, "Larissa, do you remember why you were brought to the hospital?"

She shook her head, "No…but why am I here," she asked, becoming scared.

"Honey, you were…hit by a car," Sharpay said, trying to hold back her tears.

She frowned, "What car? When?"

"Yesterday," Troy said. He looked back up at the doctor, "What is going on here?"

"Larissa," the doctor said, "Do you know who these people are," he asked.

She nodded, "My mommy and daddy."

"Okay, and do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, I have Ana, Kayleigh, and Zachary," she said.

The doctor nodded, "Very good." He then looked at Troy and Sharpay, "May I speak to you in the hall, please?"

"Yes, please do," Sharpay said. She turned back to Larissa, "We'll be right back," she said, kissing her forehead. She followed Troy and the doctor into the hall. "Okay, what's going on here?"

The doctor sighed, "Well, I am pretty sure that your daughter is suffering from what is called antegrade amnesia," he said to the two.

"What kind of amnesia," Sharpay asked, grabbing Troy's hand.

"Antegrade; basically Larissa has lost her short-term memory, but is able to remember things such as the fact that you are her parents and that she has three siblings. She doesn't seem to be able to remember what happened to her. This is quite common after a head trauma; especially an accident such as the one she had," he explained.

Sharpay had tears in her eyes, "Will she ever remember," she asked.

"She might remember and she might not; but if she does, it will likely scare her when it happens; the two of you are going to have to be there for her if and when she does," he said, looking from Troy to Sharpay.

"We will," Troy said solemnly. He walked back into the room.

Sharpay soon followed, after digesting the news. "Hi honey," she said, sitting back down.

"Daddy, why can't I remember what happened," Larissa asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Troy shook his head, "Don't worry about that right now, sweetie. Just focus on getting better."

Sharpay simply sat there, not knowing whether to tell Larissa what happened or to just sit there, happy that she had woken up at all.

* * *

**One Week Later…**

The doctor had decided that since Larissa had antegrade amnesia and a concussion that she should remain in the hospital for a full week. He had also advised Troy and Sharpay not to tell Larissa what had happened; at least not yet, since her memory was most likely going to come back. He did, however, have some major concerns regarding her mental health status.

Larissa had become rather distant and emotionless over the last few days, which worried not only Troy and Sharpay, but the doctor as well.

The doctor walked Troy and Sharpay to his office, "Please, sit down," he said, gesturing to two chairs in front of his desk.

They sat down, "What's going on," Troy asked. "And why does Larissa seem so…distant?"

"That's what I'd like to talk to you about," he said as he sat down behind the desk. "I have a feeling that Larissa may be suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD," he said.

"What's that," Sharpay asked, feeling more tears coming down her face. Even though Troy had been upset over what had happened, Sharpay was literally beating herself up over it. She felt that this was all her fault and that had she not been ignoring Larissa or yelling at her all the time that this wouldn't have happened.

"Basically, it's a type of anxiety disorder that usually develops after a traumatic event; in Larissa's case, that event was being hit by the car. She may actually be blocking the memories of that day because she is afraid to face them," he said, looking from Troy to Sharpay.

Troy took a deep breath, "Is there a cure," he asked softly.

"There's treatment," he said. "Like all anxiety disorders, there is no cure, but also like all anxiety disorders, there is a way to treat it. I would suggest something such as counseling to treat this; perhaps even medication, but only if that seems necessary."

"Excuse me," Sharpay said as she got up and walked out of the room and into the bathroom and was sick. She sat in the stall and cried; now her daughter had another anxiety disorder? First it was a general anxiety disorder (which she had actually been doing rather well with) and now this? She slowly got up and walked to the sink and rinsed her face with some cold water. After composing herself, she walked out of the bathroom, only to see Troy standing right there causing her to jump back. "Don't do that," she said, wiping her eyes.

"What's wrong," he asked, worried about her.

She shook her head, "Nothing. I just felt sick, that's all," she said, wiping more tears.

"Stop blaming yourself for this," he said, reading her mind.

She looked at him, "Then who am I supposed to blame," she asked, beginning to cry.

"The car that hit her," he said, stopping her.

"She wouldn't have gotten hit if I hadn't yelled at her," she said, walking back to Larissa's room. "She wouldn't have run out of the house if I hadn't hurt her the way I did, Troy!"

He stopped her and wrapped his arms around her, "Hey, it's all right; listen, I have an idea…why don't you and Larissa spend a day together…just the two of you to try and fix things between the two of you."

She shrugged, "Maybe…yeah, that may actually work," she said after a moment.

* * *

**Home…**

"Here we are," Troy said as he opened the door to the house. "Home sweet home," he said, smiling.

Larissa looked around and saw her grandparents (all of them) and her siblings. "Hi grandma, grandpa, and papa," she said. (Papa was Sharpay's father)

"Hello sweetie," Cindy (Troy's mom) said as she walked over to her granddaughter and hugged her. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, I guess," she said without a smile or emotion for that matter. She hadn't even hugged her grandmother back.

"Larissa!" Kayleigh ran to her sister and hugged her, "Will you do the play with me," she asked, hopeful.

"I don't really want to," Larissa said as she made her way to the stairs. She walked up and to her room and lay down on the bed. All she wanted was to be alone.

"What did I do," Kayleigh asked.

Troy shook his head, "Nothing, sweetie; she's just not feeling very well right now," he said softly.

"Oh, okay," she said, walking over to the family room.

* * *

**Next Day…**

Sharpay had decided that today would be a day for just her and Larissa. She was planning on taking Larissa to the mall and salon, just to get pampered and to spend some quality time with her daughter. "Honey are you ready," Sharpay asked as she fished for her keys.

Larissa nodded, "Yeah, I guess," she said, walking into the kitchen. "Here, mommy, they were on the table," she said, handing her the keys.

She smiled, "Thank you." She kissed her head, "So, ready to have some fun?"

"Sure," Larissa said with a small smile.

Sharpay hugged her, "Good; because today it's just you and me. Daddy is going to stay here with your sisters and brother while we go have a wonderful time," she said as she hugged her.

"Just me and you," Larissa asked, her smile growing wider.

"Yep." Sharpay walked her out to the car and drove to the mall.

After shopping for a few hours, the two went into O'Ney's Salon and Spa **(Hehe, that's where I get my hair done)** and had their hair and nails done. After that they went into the spa area where they received a massage and everything else you get when you're at a spa. ((Sorry, I don't go to the spa like…ever! So I don't know what they do there))

"Did you have fun today," Sharpay asked as she drove home.

"Yeah…I like my nails," she said, looking at her sparkly purple nail polish.

She smiled, "So do I. You have great taste in color," she said, glancing back at Larissa.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. "Mommy?"

"What, honey?"

"Um…thank you…for just me and you today."

Sharpay smiled, "You're more than welcome." Maybe this was exactly what both mother and daughter needed. Sharpay decided to park in the driveway so she could get the mail. "Come on honey," she said, helping her out of the car. She walked with her down to the mailbox, but felt Larissa stop when they got to the end of the driveway. "What's wrong," Sharpay asked, seeing the look in Larissa's eyes; a look that could only be described as pure fear.

"N-Nothing," she said, staring at the street. "I want to go inside now," she said, slowly backing up.

"Okay," Sharpay said uncertainly as she got the mail. "Let's go." She took her hand and walked her into the house.

* * *

**That Night…**

"So things went well today," Troy asked as he crawled into bed beside his wife.

She nodded, "Yeah, she seemed to have a great time except for…"

"When you got the mail," he finished for her.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Is that part of the PTSD?"

"My guess would be yes," he said. "Any part of the trauma can trigger it," he said, remembering what the doctor had told them.

Before Sharpay could respond, they heard a loud scream followed by crying come from Larissa's room.

* * *

**Yep, another cliffhanger. Yet at least you now know that Larissa is okay…physically. So what do you think is wrong with her now? Why did she scream? And did the day with mom help? If you ask me, it did, LOL. But I want to hear from you, the readers! So please review and thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Once again, thank you for the reviews! All right, here's chapter 13.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 13**_

_She nodded, "Yeah, she seemed to have a great time except for…"_

"_When you got the mail," he finished for her._

"_Yeah," she said quietly. "Is that part of the PTSD?"_

"_My guess would be yes," he said. "Any part of the trauma can trigger it," he said, remembering what the doctor had told them._

_Before Sharpay could respond, they heard a loud scream followed by crying come from Larissa's room._

Sharpay and Troy climbed out of bed and hurried into Larissa's room. Troy turned on the light, "What's wrong honey," he asked, rushing over to her.

"Street…car…head hurts," she cried. She sounded as if she was about to hyperventilate.

Troy pulled her close to him and just held her.

Sharpay rushed Larissa's other side and sat down and kissed her head. She took her hand in hers, "It's all right, honey," she said, leaning over to comfort her daughter.

Larissa's sobs began to slow down as her parents held her. "Daddy there was a car," she said, looking straight ahead. "It hurt me!"

He nodded and pulled Larissa into his lap, "It's over now honey, the car isn't here anymore," he said quietly.

She held onto him, "I'm scared, daddy," she said, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Do you want me to bring that extra mattress in here and have me sleep in here tonight," Sharpay asked.

Larissa looked at her mom and nodded, "Yes," she said quietly.

Troy placed Larissa next to Sharpay, "I'll go get it and plug it in for you," he said, going out to the linen closet. ((Ever heard of the Aero Bed in a Minute or something like that? That is what I'm referring to))

"All right," Sharpay said, taking Larissa in her arms. "Don't worry; you're going to be okay."

Troy brought the mattress in and placed it on the floor next to Larissa's bed, "There we go." He walked over to Larissa, "Get some sleep, sweetie." He kissed her head and then kissed Sharpay goodnight.

Sharpay helped Larissa back into bed, "If you need anything, I'm right here, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay mommy." Larissa placed her head on the pillow and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

**Monday Morning…**

"But I don't want to go to school," Larissa whined as she came downstairs. "What if I get scared again?"

Sharpay sighed, "Honey, we talked about this yesterday; if you get scared, you go to your teacher…we have already told her what happened. If you need to, she will send you to see the school social worker." She hugged her, "And if that happens, just tell her what's wrong, all right? And besides, your Aunt Gabi works there," she said, hoping to reassure her. "Her classroom is only two doors away from yours, okay?" **(A/N: I totally forgot that Gabi is a 3rd grade teacher, LOL. She works at the elementary school…but Theresa wasn't in her class since that wouldn't make much sense…in an elementary school anyway.)**

She nodded, "But what if…"

"Larissa, you'll be okay, sweetie." Sharpay walked out to the backyard, "Troy, I kind of need to get Zach and Ana to school," she called to her husband who was playing basketball with Zach and Ana.

He nodded, "Just a second." He turned to Ana, "Okay, just stand right there and throw the ball just like I showed you."

"Okay daddy." Ana did so and the ball went right into the net: _swoosh. _"I did it!" She cried, jumping up and down.

"Great job," he said as he kissed her head. He turned to Zach, "We'll work on your throws after school, okay buddy?"

"Okay daddy." He and Ana walked into the house and grabbed their bags.

Sharpay walked over to the stairs, "Kayleigh, let's go; you are going to be late if you do not come downstairs right now!"

Kayleigh slowly made her way down the stairs, "I don't like these clothes, mommy," she whined.

She sighed, "Well you liked them last night when you picked them out and there is no time to change now," she said as she took her hand. "Come on, please get your backpack; I've already put your lunch in it."

Kayleigh sighed and followed her mom out to the garage. As she walked over to the car, she bumped into Larissa, "Move, Larissa," she said angrily.

Larissa turned around, "Shut up! Why don't you move?"

Kayleigh just looked at her sister, "Mommy, Larissa told me to shut up," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Larissa, we don't use that language here and Kayleigh…we'll talk later," Sharpay said as she practically forced the two girls into the car. She breathed an exasperated sigh as she closed the door and got into the car. The only two who seemed to be calm were Ana and Zach, who were talking about basketball.

"Mommy I made a free throw this morning," Ana said proudly.

Sharpay smiled, "That's great honey," she said as she started the car and backed out of the driveway. As she pulled out onto the street, Larissa screamed, causing Sharpay to nearly lose control of the car. "What? What's wrong," she asked, pulling over to the side of the road.

"The car!" Larissa was covering her eyes, crying as she started to breathe rather rapidly.

Sharpay got out of the car and opened the back door, "It's okay, look honey, you're safe," Sharpay said, showing Larissa her surroundings.

Larissa opened her eyes and took a deep breath, "Sorry mommy," she said quietly.

"Don't worry; it's all right," Sharpay said as she kissed Larissa's forehead, closed the door, and got back into the car. She drove to the school, not seeing the glares that Kayleigh was throwing at her sister.

"Bye mommy," Ana said as she hugged Sharpay and walked into the school.

Zachary walked over to his mom, "I get to play basketball today mommy," he said, referring to what Troy had told him.

"I know you do," she said with a smile. It was quite obvious that Zachary was going to be exactly like his father…and he looked exactly like him to boot. She kissed him goodbye, "Have a great day honey." She turned to Larissa, "Just remember, you'll be fine," she said, giving her a reassuring hug.

"Okay," Larissa said, hugging her mom back. "Mommy?"

"What honey?"

"Do you love me like you love Kayleigh and Zachary?"

Sharpay looked at Larissa, shocked, "Of course I do, sweetheart, I love all of you very, very much," she said, hugging her again. She then flashed back to the day that Larissa got hit by the car. Larissa had to be remembering what she had to said to Sharpay about her not loving Larissa as much because she was adopted. "You all hold special places in my heart," she said softly to Larissa.

She nodded, "Okay." She walked into the school.

Sharpay sighed as she watched her walk away. She then looked at Kayleigh and took her hand, "Come on, I'm going to walk you into school; we need to talk."

"Why?"

"Because I don't understand why you are so mad all of a sudden," she said, kneeling down to Kayleigh's height.

Kayleigh held back her tears, "I don't want to be in the play without Larissa," she said, wiping her eyes.

She nodded, "I see…are you afraid to be up there without her; is that what's bothering you," she asked as she walked her into the school.

"Yes," she said tearfully. Even though Larissa hadn't even rehearsed for the play, the only reason Kayleigh wanted to do it was because her big sister was in it.

"Honey, believe me when I tell you that you're going to do just fine," Sharpay said as she walked her to the classroom. "I'll see you after school, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay." She wiped her eyes once more and hugged her mom and walked into her classroom.

"Oy," Sharpay said to herself as she walked out to the car and drove to work.

* * *

**Evans Home; Same Time…**

"Theresa, let's go," Gabi called to her daughter. "Michael, here's your lunch, sweetie," she said as she handed it to him.

He frowned, "I don't like bologna," he said, making a face.

"Don't start," she said in a warning tone.

Theresa walked downstairs, "My shoes don't fit, mom. I can't go to school wearing these," she said, pointing to her new shoes.

"You just got them and you look just fine," Gabi said, trying to get her kids out the door. Ryan had an early meeting, so he was unable to take Theresa and Angie (who was now 3 ½) to school like he normally would.

"Ugh," Theresa said, walking past her mom and out to the car.

Gabi rolled her eyes and was about to pick Angie up when she suddenly felt sick. "Uh, hold on sweetie," she said as she rushed to the bathroom.

Angie looked at her brother, "What's wrong with mommy?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

Gabi soon emerged, "Okay, let's go," she said, still feeling ill but knowing that if she didn't get her kids to school that she would never hear the end of it.

"Mom I look like a dork," Theresa said as she got out of the car.

"You look fine, now I have to go…and if you get another detention…" Gabi shook her head, "Just don't, okay?" Theresa had gotten two detentions in the last month for talking in class and not listening. Gabi then drove Angie to school, "Come on Michael," she said, not wanting to leave him alone in the car. She dropped Angie off at her class, "Have a great day honey."

"Bye mommy," Angie said as she hugged her mom and walked into the room.

Gabi then drove to the elementary school and parked the car. "Come on Michael; the last thing you need is to be late," she said as she walked him to his class.

"What if I forget how to spell 'glass,'" he asked worriedly. He had a spelling test today and had studied for it the night before, but was still unsure of himself.

"You'll do just fine," she said, giving him a hug. She then walked down to her room, making sure to peek into Larissa's class, just to make sure she was okay. When she saw Larissa just sitting there looking as if she was about to cry, she walked into the room, "Hey there."

She looked up, "I'm scared, Aunt Gabi," Larissa said, close to tears.

"Come here." She hugged her niece, "You'll be just fine; and if you need anything, I'm just across the hall, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

Gabi gave her one more hug, "I'll see you later honey," she said as she walked into her own classroom, still feeling quite ill.

* * *

**Same Time; Cross Home…**

Jason signed the test, "I still don't see how you got such a low grade when we made sure to help you study for this," he said, handing the test to Katie.

"I just forgot the answers," she said, looking at her feet. "Sorry dad."

He nodded, "Well you'll just have to study harder for the next one."

"Okay…oh dad?"

"Yes?"

"I have to stay after school today," she said, biting her lip.

He looked at her, "Why?"

"Daddy!" Madison said, running up to Jason, Kelsi close behind. "I go to school now."

He smiled, "Well have a great day," he said, picking his daughter up. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said, hugging him back.

He set her down and looked at Kelsi, "Good luck today," he said as he kissed her.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. Today was the day that the University was going to decide if her play was going to be chosen as the spring play. She looked over at Katie, "I'll see you after school honey," she said as she kissed her forehead.

"I have to stay after," Katie said, still biting her lip.

Kelsi stopped in her tracks, "Why's that," she asked, thinking the worst. "You didn't get a detention, did you?"

Katie's eyes went wide, "What? No! Mom, I didn't get a detention, I promise!"

"Then why are you staying late," Jason asked. His cell phone then rang. He sighed, "Come on, just go to the car please," he said as he answered it.

Katie said a silent 'thank you' to herself since she didn't have to tell her parents what was really going on, even though they would find out soon enough. She hid the music in her backpack and followed her dad out to the car.

* * *

**I decided that we needed some of the others in this chapter as well. So what's going on with Gabi and Katie? And how will Larissa do at school? Please review and any suggestions as to what you think is going on are welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews! All right, here is chapter 14.**

**P.S. Happy Memorial Day to everyone and if you have a family member or friend or know someone who is helping our country, they are in my thoughts! Then again, all of our soldiers are. :)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 14**_

_Katie said a silent 'thank you' to herself since she didn't have to tell her parents what was really going on, even though they would find out soon enough. She hid the music in her backpack and followed her dad out to the car._

"Bye dad," Katie said as she got out of the car, hoping to make a quick escape. She saw that he had yet another phone call.

He looked over at her, giving her a sign that said 'hang on a second.'

She sighed and waited for him to finish the phone call. "Dad, I have to go!"

"…Yeah, okay I'll call you back later." He hung up and looked at her, "How late are you staying…just so I know when to come and get you?"

She thought for a moment, "Probably 4:30 or something like that," she said.

He nodded, "All right; I love you honey."

"Love you too," she called as she ran into school. "Phew," she said to herself, still looking over at the entrance, watching her dad leave. Unfortunately, she wasn't looking in front of her.

"Oof," the other person said, dropping all of her papers.

Katie's eyes went wide, "Sorry!"

"That's all right," Sharpay said as she picked up her papers. She looked at Katie, "Is everything all right?"

She nodded, "Sure…yeah, things are fine," she said as she picked up her bag.

Sharpay sighed, "You didn't tell your parents, did you?"

She shook her head, "I wanted to, but I don't think they would like it if they found I was in a musical while I'm not doing so well in my other subjects," she said, looking at the ground.

"No, they probably wouldn't like that…maybe you should see if you can get some extra help in whatever class or classes you're having problems in," she suggested.

"But then they'd get mad that I never told them the real reason as to why I'm having trouble with my classes."

"Katie, you're not making this very easy for yourself here," Sharpay said as she picked up the last piece of paper.

Katie shook her head, "Maybe I should just quit the musical," she said sadly. Like Larissa, Katie seemed to find her niche in acting, even if it was taking its toll on her grades. All she needed now was some way to tell her parents. "Hey, maybe if you could…"

"Nope, don't even think about it; I am not telling your parents for you," Sharpay said firmly. "I'll tell them _with_ you, if you'd like, but you my dear, have to tell them," she said as the first bell rang.

"Okay," she said. "I have to go…thanks!" She ran off to class before she was late.

Sharpay sighed and walked into her classroom.

* * *

Larissa tried her best to focus in class. She listened as her teacher talked about Photosynthesis. One of her classmates was in the front of the room holding the plant as her teacher, Mrs. Hughes pointed out the process. As she pointed to another part of the plant, her classmate accidentally dropped it, causing the clay pot to shatter to the ground. Larissa immediately tensed up after hearing that.

It kept going on in her mind; she was running out of the house and without realizing it, into the street when she barely saw the red car approaching. As she heard the crash of the pot, she could hear the crashing of the car. "STOP!" She screamed, causing everyone to look at her.

Mrs. Hughes walked over to her, "Larissa, are you all right?"

"Stop! Make it stop," she cried.

By now, most of her classmates were either wondering what had just happened or were laughing that Larissa screamed at the teacher.

"Larissa, stop this right now," her teacher snapped. "Do you need to see the principal?"

Larissa, however, couldn't hear her. She simply continued to cry hysterically, occasionally yelling for something to stop.

"That's it," her teacher said, ready to take Larissa to the principal.

* * *

At the same time, Gabi was telling her class how to do an equation when she heard a scream come from across the hall. Luckily, Gabi's stomach was now feeling better. She turned to one of her students, "Bradley, please go and get Mrs. Greene," she said. (Mrs. Greene is the principal)

He nodded, "Okay." He got up from his desk. Luckily, Mrs. Greene was already in the hall on her way to the 4th grade classroom. "Mrs. Greene," he called. But she continued to walk into the 4th grade room. Bradley looked at Gabi, "She is in the other classroom, Mrs. Evans."

Gabi nodded, "Thank you, Bradley," she said. "You can sit back down now." Gabi then saw one of the assistant teachers walk down the hall. "Julie! Can you please take over for me?"

Julie, the assistant who was walking by, walked into Gabi's room, "I guess," she said. "Is everything all right?"

She shook her head, "Not really, no. Here, we're on chapter three," she said pointing to the book. "Page 55."

"Okay," she said slowly.

"Thank you," Gabi said as she rushed out of the room and into Larissa's class. She looked at the teacher, "Leah, where's Larissa?"

"She is with Mrs. Greene," she said crossly. "I do not condone yelling in my classroom."

Gabi sighed, "Thank you," she said, wanting to kick her co-worker. How could she send Larissa to the office without knowing why Larissa was so upset? She hurried down the hall, feeling another wave of nausea coming on. "Great," she muttered, walking into the restroom. After she finished, she rinsed her face, wondering what was wrong with her, but quickly remembering the matter at hand. She walked out of the bathroom and into the office.

"Larissa, this is getting ridiculous," Mrs. Greene said, trying to get through to Larissa, who couldn't seem to stop crying. "That's it; I'm calling your parents. You my dear are suspended."

"Jennifer, wait," Gabi said, entering the office.

She looked up, "Yes, Gabriella, how may I help you?"

"Don't call Larissa's parents; I can help her…please."

She nodded, "As long as you have someone in your classroom…"

"I do. Thank you," she said, taking Larissa's hand and leading her out of Mrs. Greene's office and out to the main office. She sat down on one of the chairs and placed Larissa on her lap. "It's all right, honey," she said, hugging the still crying 9 year old. "You're okay; nothing is going to get you."

Larissa's sobs slowed down as she looked at her aunt. "The plant…fell…and…it…b-broke," she said through her tears.

Gabi nodded, remembering what Troy and Sharpay had told her and Ryan about the PTSD and what could trigger it. **(A/N: This is actually true; some things will trigger PTSD to make 'an appearance' in the form of a panic attack)**

"I want daddy," she cried.

"I know, honey, I know." She looked at the secretary, "Will you please call Troy Bolton? He's probably at work so try his cell phone," she said, still trying to calm Larissa down.

The secretary nodded, "Yes, but may I ask why I'm calling him?"

"Just tell him that his daughter is having a panic attack; he'll know what you're talking about."

She nodded, "Okay." She dialed the number.

"See? Your daddy is going to come over here, okay?"

Larissa didn't answer; she simply continued to cry softly into Gabi's shirt.

* * *

Troy was not happy. The contractors who had promised they'd be at the restaurant at 10:00 now said that they couldn't come today. He and Jason were planning on expanding the place since business was going so well, but it wasn't going to happen if people kept canceling on them.

Jason walked over to him, "Okay, I know that you're not going to like this, but you should know that Rick just called and said he can't come in today."

Troy sighed angrily, "If I get just one more piece of news that isn't good, I don't know what I'll do," he said as his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, "Great," he said when he recognized the number. "Hello?" He rubbed his forehead as he listened to the person on the other line, "Yes, I'll be right there, thank you." He hung up, "Larissa had a panic attack; I need to get to her school," he said as he fumbled for his keys. "Great, now where are they?"

Jason walked over to him, "Are these what you're looking for," he asked, holding Troy's keys in front of him.

"Thank you," Troy said as he took the keys and walked out to his car and got in. He put the key into the ignition and turned it…nothing happened. "Oh this is not what I need," he said as he continued to try to get his car to start. After four tries, he finally managed to start the car. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the elementary school. After finding a parking space (way in the back of the lot), he walked into the school, making sure to keep his bad luck from that morning behind him. He wasn't about to take anything out on his currently very upset daughter.

Gabi looked up at the door, "Hey, look who's here," she said to Larissa, who was now whimpering.

Larissa looked up, "Daddy?"

He smiled softly, "Hey sweet girl," he said, taking Larissa from Gabi's arms. He held her and hugged her, "How are you doing?"

"I saw the car," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

He nodded, "I know," he said, rubbing her back. He looked at Gabi, "Thank you for taking care of her."

She smiled, "It wasn't any trouble…exactly," she said, feeling sick again. "Um, I have to get back to class. Feel better, Larissa," she said as she cupped her hand over her mouth and hurried out of the office.

Troy just looked after Gabi for a moment, "Nah," he said to himself, getting the thought out of his head. He then sat down with Larissa in his lap, "Can you tell me what happened?"

She told him everything she could from her classmate dropping the flower pot to both her teacher and the principal scolding her. "They didn't listen," she said, beginning to cry again. "Daddy I don't feel good."

Troy nodded and stood up and walked her to the unisex bathroom.

After she finished, she turned back to him, crying. "I'm sorry daddy."

"Shh, it's not your fault," he said gently. He then walked her to her locker where she removed her backpack. "Here, I'll carry that," he said, taking it from her. "Ready to go home?"

She nodded silently and walked with him back to the office. "Why are we here?"

"I just need to tell your principal what's going on," he said. He looked at the secretary, "I need to speak to Mrs. Greene, please."

She nodded, "I'll go get her."

Mrs. Greene emerged from her office, "Hello Mr. Bolton," she said. "I see you were made aware of your daughter's disturbance in class today."

"She wasn't causing a disturbance," he said, now quite irked. "She was having a panic attack; or were you not made aware of the fact that she has PTSD," he said quietly, not wanting to upset Larissa.

"I…I didn't think that…"

"Exactly. You didn't think; you simply jumped to a conclusion," he said irately. "Larissa will be in school tomorrow," he said, taking her hand and leaving a befuddled Mrs. Greene just standing there.

"I want to go home," Larissa said as they walked through the parking lot.

He nodded, "And that's where we're going, honey," he said as he unlocked the car and helped her in. He walked around to the other side, hoping he didn't have the same luck he did at the restaurant. He turned the key, but yet again, nothing happened. "Not again," he said to himself. He turned the key three more times before the car finally started. "This is not my day," he said to himself as he drove home.

* * *

**After School…**

Troy had tried to get a hold of Sharpay all day, but her phone was either turned off or she didn't have it with her.

As Sharpay walked into the music room to begin the musical auditions for the show, she decided to check her messages. "Troy called five times," she said to herself. She noticed that he had left one message. She pressed the buttons on her phone to listen to the message. She sat down as she listened to it. "Oh no," she said to herself. After listening to it, she decided to call home. She speed dialed the number and waited for Troy to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Troy, it's me," she said. "I'm sorry; I had a meeting today and had to turn my phone off…I just heard your message. Is Larissa okay now?"

He sighed, "She's a lot better than she was this morning. She's taking a rather restless nap right now."

"Um, I think it's time for her to go see Joanne again," Sharpay said, referring to the child psychologist Larissa had been seeing on and off for the past four years.

He nodded, "I agree. Do you want me to give her a call?"

"Yeah, try to make an appointment where the three of us can meet with her."

"I'll do my best," he said.

She looked at the phone, "Is everything all right? You sound like your day didn't go so well."

"In a nutshell, let's just say that it felt a lot like a Friday the 13th," he said as he went on to explain to her what had happened that day.

She sighed, "I'm sorry…if it helps, my day wasn't all that great either; I'm helping Katie harbor a secret from her parents."

"Lovely," he said. "Hey I'll talk to you when you get home; Zach is about to declare war on Kayleigh for taking his baseball cards."

"Okay, I'll see you when I get home," she said, hanging up. "Oy," she said for the second time that day. She looked up and saw Katie walk into the room. "So how did things go with your English teacher," Sharpay asked.

Katie shrugged, "She said that I could make up the assignment I didn't do...but my parents have to go in for a conference," she said, looking rather nervous.

"Hey, they'll understand; in fact, they'll probably be happy that you talked to her in the first place and are able to make up the assignment," Sharpay said, trying to make Katie feel better.

"Thanks," she said softly.

Sharpay nodded, "All right everyone, you are all here because you want to audition for our spring musical, am I right?"

Several students nodded and said 'yes.'

"Great! As you know, we're doing _Grease_ this year, so there are many parts to hand out," she said, trying to sound upbeat, unlike Ms. Darbus. "Everyone is going to be given a fair chance, so why don't we start with…Katie Cross," she said, looking at Katie.

Katie nodded and walked to the front of the room to start singing. As she was about to sing "Hopelessly Devoted to You," her parents, unbeknownst to her, walked into the room. Sharpay signaled for them to not say anything, but to let her finish singing.

_Guess mine is not the first heart broken, my eyes are not the first to_

_Cry_

_I'm not the first to know, there's just no gettin' over you_

_Hello, I'm just a fool who's willing to sit around and wait for you_

_But baby can't you see, there's nothin' else for me to do_

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you_

_But now there's nowhere to hide, since you pushed my love aside_

_I'm not in my head, hopelessly devoted to you_

_Hopelessly devoted to you, hopelessly devoted to you_

_My head is saying "fool, forget him", my heart is saying "don't let go"_

_Hold on to the end, that's what I intend to do_

_I'm hopelessly devoted to you_

_But now there's nowhere to hide, since you pushed my love aside_

_I'm not in my head, hopelessly devoted to you_

_Hopelessly devoted to you, hopelessly devoted to you_

When she finished, she looked over and saw her parents, "Uh oh," she said to herself. Little did she know that they were smiling.

* * *

Gabi walked through the door, got the kids their afternoon snack, and took the item she had bought out of the bag and walked into the bathroom. She then waited…and waited… and waited. The timer finally went off and she picked up the strip, looking at it, eyes wide opened.

* * *

**Wow that was a heck of a lot longer than I anticipated! I hope you liked it; I tried to incorporate everyone, but didn't do that…but hey, I tried! Plus it's 2:30 AM here and I can't sleep so I don't know what I'm doing. ;-) Just kidding! Anyway, please review. What are Jason and Kelsi going to think of what Katie is doing? What about Gabi? And finally, what will happen with Larissa? Will she have to go see Joanne again? (Remember her from And Baby Makes Six?) Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions from the previous chapter. I hope you all like this one as well, so without further ado, here is chapter 15.**

**A/N: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I don't own the song from _Grease_, nor do I own the musical. **

**A/N #2: I'm not feeling very well, so if this chapter kind of stinks, that's why. Just thought I'd warn you in advance!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 15**_

_Gabi walked through the door, got the kids their afternoon snack, and took the item she had bought out of the bag and walked into the bathroom. She then waited…and waited… and waited. The timer finally went off and she picked up the strip, looking at it, eyes wide opened._

"This cannot be happening," Gabi said to herself as she stared at the two pink lines that appeared on the stick. She placed the stick near the counter in the master bathroom so she could show Ryan when he got home. She then walked back downstairs, trying to remain as composed as possible. "All right Theresa, you need to get started on your homework," she said as she walked over to her.

Theresa looked up, "But all I have is math and I need dad to help me with it," she whined.

Gabi sighed; she did not need this right now. "Theresa I happen to know that you also have a science report to finish, so please go upstairs and start on that."

She frowned, "Fine, but if I fail I'm blaming you!" She stomped up the stairs to her room and slammed the door, causing Gabi to grab her head in pain.

"Mommy are you okay," Michael asked.

She nodded, "I'm fine, sweetie; why don't you go review your spelling words, all right?"

"Okay," he said, walking over to the stairs.

Gabi looked at Angie who was watching a cartoon. She walked back into the kitchen, thinking of the best way to tell Ryan that they were going to have another child. She wasn't even sure how to tell her children that they were going to have another sibling. Theresa didn't take it well when she found out that Gabi was pregnant with Michael, and she wasn't happy when she found out about Angie (granted, nearly everyone was sure that Angie wasn't even Ryan's child at first).

* * *

Katie finished singing and looked up at her parents, "Uh oh," she said quietly. She walked over to them, "Hi mom, hi dad," she said, looking at the ground. She was ready for them to start yelling at her.

"Honey that was wonderful," Kelsi said as she hugged her daughter. "I never knew that you wanted to act."

She looked up, "You mean you're not mad?"

Jason smiled, "No, we're not mad honey, but why didn't you tell us that this was the reason that you needed to stay after school?" He and Kelsi walked her out into the hallway.

She shrugged, "My grades, I guess," she said. "But I talked to my English teacher and she said I could make up the paper." She gave her parents a hopeful smile.

Kelsi nodded, "That's great, honey; I'm glad you talked to her."

"So if I make the musical, can I actually be in it," she asked her dad.

He nodded, "I don't see why not, but you are going to have to keep up with all of your schoolwork, got it?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'll keep up with it…thank you daddy!" She hugged him and then hugged her mom.

Jason smiled, "You're welcome honey; now I suggest we get going since your sister is probably going to go crazy if we don't go pick her up now."

"Okay, but I have to ask when callbacks are…if I make them that is," she said, suddenly unsure of herself.

"You'll do just fine," Kelsi said as she gave her daughter a nudge to go back into the room.

Katie slowly walked over to Sharpay, "Um, when will callbacks be…if I make them?"

Sharpay checked the schedule, "Let's see…I have them scheduled for next Thursday; just check the list outside the room tomorrow afternoon, all right," she said with a smile.

"Okay, thank you!" Katie hurried out of the room and over to her parents, "They're next week," she said as the three walked out of the school.

* * *

Sharpay finally finished with the auditions at 5:15. She gathered her things and walked out of the school and to her car.

Once home, she got out of the car and walked into the house, "Hello, anyone home," she called.

"Mommy," Kayleigh called, running over to her.

"Hi sweetie," Sharpay said as she picked her up. "Did you have a good day today?"

She nodded, "Yep; I writed my name the right way too!" She smiled.

"That's terrific," Sharpay said as she set her down. "Can you tell me where your daddy is?"

She pointed upstairs, "He's with Larissa…she doesn't feel too good, mommy. She was crying."

She nodded, "Okay, thank you honey." Before going upstairs, Sharpay walked into the family room where Ana and Zach were watching something. "Hi guys," she said as she walked over to them.

"Mommy!" Ana got up and hugged her mom, "I did really well with basketball!"

"That's great honey." Sharpay looked over at Zachary who had a bruise on his forehead, "Honey, what happened?"

"The basketball hit me," he said, crossing his arms. "I can't catch it, mommy."

"Don't worry; you just keep practicing and you'll get it, I promise." She gave him a hug.

He nodded, "Okay mommy."

She smiled, "I'll be upstairs if you guys need anything, all right?"

"Okay," Ana said as she turned her head to face the TV again.

Sharpay walked upstairs and into Larissa's room. Larissa was sitting on her bed with her head resting on Troy's shoulder; it was obvious that she had been crying. "Hi honey," she said as she walked over to the two.

Larissa looked up at her mom and started crying again, "Mommy the car!" She threw herself at Sharpay and cried into her shirt.

Sharpay just held her and looked up at Troy, "How was the rest of today," she asked him as she held Larissa.

He shrugged, "She took a small nap this afternoon and then she woke up, came downstairs, and saw a car pass by and had another panic attack."

She nodded, "I see; well how do you feel now honey," she asked Larissa.

"Scared," she said into her mom's shirt.

Sharpay took a deep breath and sat down on the bed with Larissa in her lap, "Well hopefully that is going to change very soon," she said, looking over at Troy. "Did you call her?" She asked, referring to Joanne.

He nodded, "Yes and we have an appointment on Wednesday at 4:15, all three of us."

"Sounds good," she said as she placed Larissa on the bed. "Well, I have to start dinner. Do you want to help me, sweetie?"

"No," Larissa said, lying back down.

"Okay, I'll let you know when it's ready then," she said as she kissed her forehead. "You'll be okay, I promise." Sharpay got up and walked out of the room and down the stairs to make dinner.

**1 HOUR LATER…**

As Larissa brought her empty plate over to the sink, (she was the last one to finish dinner since she had fallen asleep in her room) she tripped over her shoe ((something I do all the time!)) and accidentally dropped her glass, causing it to shatter. She stood up, shocked.

Sharpay got up, "Larissa, what…"

"No, don't be mad mommy, I'm sorry!" She cried as she ran upstairs to her room.

Sharpay just stood there, baffled. "I'm not angry with her," she said to Troy as she got the broom and dustpan from the pantry and swept up the glass on the floor. "Why did she think I was angry?"

Troy walked over to her, "I think she remembers how you yelled at her that morning that she spilled the juice…if you remember, it was the same day as the accident," he said, helping her pick up some of the larger pieces of glass.

She nodded, "I see," she said quietly. "Do you think you can finish cleaning this up? I think I need to go talk to her."

He nodded, "Go ahead, I've got this."

"Thanks." She walked upstairs and opened Larissa's door, "May I come in?"

"I didn't mean to make you mad, mommy," she cried into her pillow.

Sharpay walked into Larissa's room and sat down on the bed, "Sweetie, I'm not mad. I was going to ask if…"

"But you don't love me as much," she cried. "You always get mad at me because I'm not your daughter!"

She rubbed Larissa's back, "Honey that's not true. I love you just as much as I love your sisters and brother."

Larissa looked up, "But you got really mad at me," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"Well I was wrong for getting mad at you and for not allowing you to finish your sentence when I was with Kayleigh that day; I'm sorry, honey," she said, pulling her up and hugging her.

"S-So you love me?"

"Of course I do," she said as she held her close.

Kayleigh came to the door, "Mommy, will you help me with my lines?"

Sharpay looked at Larissa, "Would you like to help us?"

She looked up at her mom, "Really?"

"Yeah; I figure it will help a lot if you helped your sister…since you're the one who got her into acting," Sharpay said as she stood up. She held out her hand, "Come on."

Larissa got up and wiped her eyes and followed her mom and Kayleigh to Kayleigh's room. "But I'm not in the play," she said as she looked at the ground.

"I want you to help me," Kayleigh said with a smile.

Larissa nodded, "Okay," she said. She sat down with her mom and sister.

Troy walked past the room on his way to get the basketball to play with Ana and Zachary and noticed the three and smiled. Things were slowly getting better.

* * *

Ryan walked into the house, completely exhausted. He had an all-day meeting and was beyond stressed out. "I'm home," he called weakly.

Gabi walked over to him, "Hi…you look…well…tired," she said, not wanting to use the word 'awful.'

"This has been the longest day of my life," he groaned.

_It's about to get longer,_ Gabi thought to herself. "Well I have some good news for you; I was able to help Theresa with her homework and Michael is in his room getting ready for bed and Angie's already asleep."

He smiled, "Thank you," he said as he kissed her. "So how was your day?"

"Well, I had to help Larissa out at school…she had a pretty bad panic attack, so I sat with her until Troy got there to pick her up and then the rest of the day was…was…" Another wave of nausea hit her.

"The rest of the day was what," he asked, watching her rush to the bathroom.

Gabi said hello to the porcelain bowl for what seemed like 100th time that day. "Ugh," she said once she finished. She flushed the toilet and was about to get up when Ryan opened the door.

"Are you okay," he asked, helping her up.

"Uh, yeah…my stomach has been acting up a bit today," she said as she walked upstairs. "Did you have dinner already; because if you didn't, I made chicken fajitas and we had _peanut butter_ ice cream for dessert," she said, emphasizing the words 'peanut butter,' since she craved it all three times she had been pregnant…something she normally didn't care for.

He nodded, "Yeah, I had dinner with some of the guys from work…wait, did you say peanut butter ice cream? I thought you hated that kind," he said as they reached their bedroom.

She turned to face him, "I do…kind of." She continued to walk into the bathroom, "Ryan, there's something I have to tell…" Before she could continue, she felt sick again and ran to the toilet and threw up again.

Ryan walked over to the sink to wash his hands when he saw the pregnancy test that was sitting next to the sink. He picked it up and saw the two pink lines.

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**Ah, okay. There's that chapter. Like I said, I'm not feeling very well so I'm sorry if that chapter wasn't very good. So what is Ryan's reaction going to be? And will Larissa and Sharpay's relationship heal? Please review and remember, I love your ideas and suggestions, so please feel free to leave them! Thanks for reading:)**


	16. Chapter 16

**You guys rock! Thank you so much for the reviews! I just have to give a little 'shout out' to my regular reviewers who include: Lipshake, BarlowGirlie, rmrivera, rlmont91, nneessssaa, dancerlittle, nikpik, and whatevergrl. If I left anyone out, I apologize! And thank you to everyone else who has reviewed in the past…you truly make my day whenever I open my inbox up!**

**A/N: I have taken all of your opinions of how Ryan should react and I hope you like what I've come up with. **

**A/N #2: This chapter will mainly focus on Ryan/Gabi mainly because…well, she just found out that she's pregnant! So yeah…family reactions and stuff like that. Anyway, on with the story! Oh, and if you couldn't tell before, I'm sort of a Ryella fan. **

**P.S. Don't worry; I haven't forgotten about Troy and Sharpay! I am hoping to give them some 'alone time' soon. :)**

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Disclaimer: Same…**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 16**_

_Ryan walked over to the sink to wash his hands when he saw the pregnancy test that was sitting next to the sink. He picked it up and saw the two pink lines._

As he looked at the pregnancy test, Gabi emerged from the part of the bathroom that contained the toilet ((do you know what I'm talking about? Some houses have bathrooms like this where the toilet is in one area and the rest is in the other…)) and stopped when she saw Ryan holding the test. She slowly walked over to him, not knowing what kind of reaction he'd have.

Ryan looked at the test and slowly, very slowly, a smile came across his face. He turned to Gabi, "You're…pregnant?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I am," she said not sure if he was happy or angry.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, "I can't believe it," he said, still embracing her.

Still shocked that he was happy, but glad that he was happy, Gabi placed her arms around him as well, "Me neither," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

After a few more minutes of hugging, Ryan pulled away, "How long have you known?"

"I just found out…this afternoon; I figured that since I've been so sick for the past two days that it had to be more than a case of the flu, so I decided to take a test," she said as she looked at him.

He nodded, "We should call the doctor…you know, to see how far along you are and how healthy the baby is," he said, hoping that this would be an easy pregnancy; he didn't want this one to be like the one she had when she was pregnant with Michael…on more than one occasion, he would turn so that he was right-side-up, thus making the doctors think that Gabi would need a C-Section. Luckily, he decided to turn the right way at the last minute.

"I agree…I made an appointment for tomorrow at 4:00; does that work for you," she asked.

"I can easily make it work for me," he said with a smile. "Gabi."

"Yeah?"

"We're going to have a baby." He picked her up and twirled her around, "I feel like I did 11 years ago when we found out about Theresa," he said with a smile, the memory still fresh in his mind.

"Yeah," she said quietly as she walked out of the bathroom and into their room.

He followed her, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She sighed, "What are we going to tell the kids…how are we going to tell the kids? Michael hated the fact that I was pregnant with Angela and Theresa simply hated the fact that I was pregnant with Michael and then Angela," she said as she sat down on the bed.

He sat down beside her, "Well, think of it this way: both of them are older now and I'm sure they'll take it a lot better than they did the first time around." He placed his arm around her, "Don't worry, it'll be just fine." He kissed her forehead, "We're having a baby."

She smiled, "Yeah, we are." She turned to him and kissed him.

"Mommy I don't get this…eww!" Theresa said, walking in on the two.

Gabi and Ryan broke apart, "Hi honey," Ryan said as he got up to hug her. "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yeah except…"

"Except what," he asked.

"I sort of got another detention for tomorrow morning," she mumbled.

Ryan sighed, "What was it for this time?"

"I wasn't listening in English," she said quietly.

Gabi got up, "Again? Theresa, that is the third time in the last two weeks that this has happened," she said as she got up and stood by Ryan.

"Relax, Gabi; she'll listen in class tomorrow," he said, looking over at Theresa, "Won't you?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"All right," he said. "No TV tonight or tomorrow," he said firmly.

She scoffed, "But dad…"

"You heard your father, Theresa," Gabi said just as firmly. She took a deep breath, "On a completely different note, your dad and I have something we have to tell you," she started to say when Michael walked into the room.

"Mommy can you read to me now," he asked, holding up a book.

She nodded, "Soon; actually daddy and I have to tell you something," she said, gesturing for them to sit down. She looked over at Ryan who nodded. "Okay…today I found out that I'm…pregnant," she said after a pause.

Theresa looked from her mom to her dad and back to her mom, "So who's the dad this time," she said sarcastically.

"Theresa Mae Evans!" Ryan nearly yelled. "You will not speak to your mother like that," he said, stunned that his daughter would say something like that.

She looked at him, "Aren't you curious though," she asked, not noticing the tears welling up in her mother's eyes.

He shook his head, "No, I'm not," he said, looking over at Gabi who grabbed a tissue.

"Mommy, why are you sad," Michael asked as he walked over to his mom and hugged her.

"I'm all right," she said, composing herself. "Theresa that was uncalled for," she said as her voice broke.

Michael tugged at his mom's shirt, "I get to be a big brother again," he asked, not understanding what his sister had been referring to.

Gabi wiped her eyes and chuckled, "Yes honey, you are going to be a big brother again."

He nodded, "Okay…but mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Can you have a boy this time? I want a brother," he said in a very serious tone, causing Ryan and Gabi to crack up. "What's so funny?"

Ryan shook his head, "Nothing…just…we're glad that you're happy," he said as he picked Michael up. "And I think it's time for you to go to bed."

"But I want mommy to read to me," he said, holding up the book again.

Gabi nodded, "Okay honey, let's go," she said as she took Michael from Ryan.

"Goodnight buddy," Ryan said as he kissed his son's forehead.

"Goodnight daddy." Gabi walked him out of the room.

Ryan looked over at Theresa, "Come on, it's almost your bedtime too."

"But it's only 8:00! I thought I got to stay up until 9:00, dad!" She whined.

"Had you chosen better words for your mother, then you would be able to stay up, but since you insulted her like that, hurting her feelings, I might add, your bedtime has changed for tonight," he said crossly. "Let's go."

She groaned and walked to her room. "I still need help with this," she said, holding up her math homework.

He nodded, "All right; we'll work on this and then it's time for bed."

"Fine," she said softly. "Daddy?"

"Yes," he said, looking at her.

"I didn't mean to hurt mommy's feelings…but it's just…last time…" She turned her head so Ryan couldn't see the tears that were coming down her face.

He rubbed her back, "I know, last time was kind of…different," he said, putting it mildly. "But this time it's going to be different…in a good way."

She nodded, "I should say sorry to mom."

"Yes, that would probably make her feel a whole lot better," he said, glad that his daughter's conscience finally kicked in.

* * *

Once all three kids were asleep (and Theresa had apologized to Gabi), the two walked downstairs. "So who do we call first," Gabi asked.

"My sister," Ryan said. "If anyone were to notice a difference in you, it would be her, so let's just call them now and get it over with before she…" The phone rang. "Too late."

She rolled her eyes, "You don't know it's her," she said as she picked up the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi Gabi, it's Sharpay," Sharpay said.

Gabi just looked at the phone and then at Ryan in shock.

"Told ya."

"Hi Sharpay, how's it going," she asked, trying to make conversation.

"Pretty good…I just wanted to thank you for what you did for Larissa today," she said with a sigh.

Gabi nodded, "It was no trouble; how is she doing now?"

"A lot better than this morning, but still a little shaken up; every time she hears a car go by, she gets nervous that it's going to run her over," Sharpay said, trying to hold it together.

"I hate to be the one to suggest this, but may she should see someone about this," she said.

"Already done," Sharpay said, "She's seeing her therapist tomorrow…you know the one that she saw a few years back?"

"Oh, right…well that's good…um, on a lighter note, Ryan and I have some news," she said. "Can you go get Troy first, though?"

Sharpay gave the phone a look, "Uh, sure…is everything all right? I mean, I sort of sensed that something was going on…"

"Yeah, things are just fine," Gabi said quickly.

Sharpay nodded, "All right…I'll go get Troy," she said as she put the phone down and walked into Larissa's room, where Troy was just kissing Larissa goodnight. "Troy," she whispered.

He looked at her, "Yeah?"

"Gabi's on the phone; she wants to talk to the two of us."

He frowned, "But I didn't hear the phone ring," he said as he got up and walked into his and Sharpay's room.

"That's because I called her," she said, her voice returning to normal. She placed the phone on speaker. "Okay Gabi, we're both here now and on speaker so we can both hear you."

Gabi nodded, "Great," she said as she did the same. "Okay, now we're on speaker as well."

"Hi Shar," Ryan said. "What happened to Larissa," he asked, puzzled.

"I'll explain later; Gabi was going to tell us something," she replied.

He nodded, "All right…yep, we do have something to tell you," he said with a smile.

"And that would be…" Troy said.

Gabi took Ryan's hand, "We're pregnant," they said in unison.

Sharpay squealed quietly, so not to wake the kids, "You are? Oh, that's great," she said, happiness eminent in her voice.

"Congratulations," Troy added.

"Thank you," Gabi said; her smile now plastered on her face. "And I just found out today," she added.

Troy smiled, "Well that's great; now we'll each have four kids…which means…wow, Sharpay and Ryan, your dad is going to have to buy a lot of presents at Christmas," he said, receiving an elbow in the arm from Sharpay. "Ouch."

"You deserved it," Sharpay said, "Anyway," she said, giving Troy a look, "Who cares how many gifts our father will have to buy; we're so happy for you two!"

Ryan smiled, "Yeah, we are too," he said as he placed his arm around Gabi. "And we're seeing the doctor tomorrow," he said, knowing that was going to be the next question out of his sister's mouth.

She smiled, "I was just going to ask you that."

He gave Gabi an 'I told you so' look. "So, what happened with Larissa," he asked, now concerned. "Did she have some sort of panic attack or something?"

"How'd you know," Troy asked, now completely confused.

"Just a guess," he said, "I mean this was her first day back at school and that in itself had to be difficult," he added.

"Yes, and her teacher and principal didn't make things any easier," Troy said, anger his voice. "But we'll get into that later," he said, receiving a look from Sharpay. He had forgotten to tell her about that incident.

"We'll just let you two go then," Ryan said.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay, and congratulations again," she said with a smile. After saying their goodbyes and hanging up, she looked over at Troy, "Now what's this about Larissa's teacher and principal?"

He sighed, "Well her teacher barely gave her any sympathy and sent her to the principal who, according to Gabi and then to me, wasn't much better. She simply accused Larissa of causing a ruckus in class and didn't even care to hear her side of the story…until I pointed it out bluntly to her face," he said, irritation in his voice.

She shook her head, "I don't get it; we told them what happened and they still ignore it!" She let out an aggravated sigh.

"Mommy!" Larissa called from her room.

She sighed, "I'll be right back." She walked into Larissa's room and turned on the small lamp that was next to her bed, "What's wrong, honey?"

"I saw it again," she said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her mom.

Sharpay put her arms around her, "It's okay, honey; it's gone now…look." She showed Larissa her room. "Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay," she said as she wiped her eyes and lay back down.

Sharpay helped her get covered up again, "Remember we're seeing Joanne tomorrow, okay?"

Larissa nodded, "Okay mommy," she said with a yawn. Larissa had grown to really like Joanne; she had really helped Larissa to come out of her shell and was one of the people who were responsible for making Larissa want to actually get up on stage and act.

Sharpay kissed her forehead, "Goodnight, sweetie." She turned off the light and quietly walked out of the room, leaving the door opened a crack.

"How is she," Troy asked when Sharpay walked back into the room.

She shrugged, "As well as can be expected, really."

He nodded, "Well hopefully Joanne will help her with this…from what I remember, she is also trained in helping children deal with traumas, deaths in the family, and of course, anxiety disorders…including PTSD."

"Good; that does make me feel better," she said as she walked over to the bed and sat down. "I only hope she can make Larissa feel better."

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**Not much of a cliffhanger there, but who needs a cliffhanger for every chapter, right? Hehe. Anyway, how did you like Ryan's reaction? And Theresa's little remark? Also, I am hoping to update tomorrow, but I'm not making any promises, since I have to work until 8:00 PM. Yep, I get to be there from 9-8! Don't get me wrong, I love kids; it's their parents that can be a little hard to deal with. ;-) Just kidding. So if I don't update tomorrow, now you know why. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the reviews, as always! They made me want to write another chapter tonight. And yep, I got home at 8:00, just as I expected…and I think that my dad now has a better understanding of why I get so tired at the end of the day, LOL.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 17**_

**Next Afternoon…**

Troy told Sharpay that he would meet her at Joanne's office that day; she would pick the kids up, drop all but Larissa off at Troy's parent's house, and then meet Troy at Joanne's office. As Sharpay drove with Larissa, she couldn't help but to notice a bit of sadness in the little girl's face.

"How was school today," she asked, trying to make conversation.

Larissa shrugged, "Okay I guess…I didn't get too scared today, but…" She looked at her feet.

Sharpay glanced back at Larissa, "But what? Did something else happen?"

She nodded, "My teacher got mad at me when I didn't answer one of the questions right away," she said, still looking at her feet.

Sharpay sighed, now quite angry at her teacher. "What happened," she asked cautiously.

"She said that if I did it again she would call you," Larissa said as she wiped her eyes. "I didn't mean to not listen, but I heard the car again," she said as her voice started to break.

Sharpay pulled into the parking lot and shut off the car. She walked around to get Larissa out and took her head, "I know you didn't mean to not listen, sweetie," she said as she led Larissa into the building. "I wish she did call," she said to herself. She shook her head, "Oh, here we are," she said as she opened the door. Troy was already there, "Hi honey." Sharpay said as she kissed him.

He smiled, "Hello," he said as he kissed Sharpay back. "How was your day?"

"Same as it usually is," Sharpay said with a sigh.

He nodded and looked at Larissa, "And how was your day?"

But all Larissa did was cry, "I didn't mean to make Mrs. Hughes (her teacher) mad at me!"

Troy looked at Sharpay, confusion written all over his face. "What is she talking about," he asked as he placed Larissa on his lap and let her cry into his shoulder.

"Larissa said that when her teacher asked her a question, that Larissa didn't answer it and that her teacher was going to call us if it happened again," Sharpay said, trying to contain her anger.

"I wish she did," he said, now just as angry as Sharpay was.

She nodded in agreement, "Exactly what I thought."

Joanne then emerged from her office, "Well hello there," she said with a smile. "It's so nice to see you all again," she said as she greeted the three. She then looked at Larissa, who was still crying into Troy's shirt. "Larissa, what's the matter, honey?"

She shook her head, "My teacher made me sad," she said, looking up at Joanne.

Joanne nodded, "I see…well why don't we step into my office and talk about it, okay?"

"Okay," a teary-eyed Larissa said as she got off of Troy's lap and followed Joanne, her parents close behind.

"Please, sit down," Joanne said as she gestured to the couch. After the three were seated, Joanne looked at Larissa, "So, I understand that you had a bit of a scare not long ago…would you like to talk about it?"

Larissa shook her head, "It scares me when I do."

Joanne looked at Troy and Sharpay, "Would either one of you like to share what happened?"

Sharpay nodded, "I will…since it's partly my fault," Sharpay said quietly. "Larissa and I were having some…hard times I guess you could say and it came to a climax with me yelling at her and Larissa saying… 'I hate you,' and then running out of the house and into the street when…" Sharpay shook her head, unable to continue.

"When the car came and…" Joanne finished for her. Sharpay nodded. "All right," she said, jotting something down. She then looked over at Larissa who had inched away from her mom. "What's wrong, Larissa?"

She looked at the floor, "She doesn't love me as much…not like she loves Kayleigh and Zachary," she said, wiping a few tears away from her face.

Sharpay took a deep breath, knowing that this was bound to come up again, "Honey, that's not true, I love you just as much…"

Larissa looked up, "But I didn't come from here," she said, pointing to her stomach. "I'm not as special," she said, her voice rising as her voice began to break.

Troy held her, "Larissa, that isn't true; we love you and Ana just as if you came from your mommy's tummy," he said, continuing to hold her close.

"You are very special to us, honey," Sharpay said, feeling her own voice breaking. "Whether you came from my tummy or not isn't important." She took her hand, "What's important is the fact that you're in here," she said, placing Larissa's hand on her (Sharpay's) heart. "And you are, honey. You and your sisters and brother are all in here," she said, running a hand through Larissa's hair.

Larissa looked at her mom, "But what about when you get mad at me?"

"You're still in here…you will _always_ be in here, sweetie," she said with a small smile.

For the first time that day, Larissa smiled at her mom, "I am?"

She nodded, "Yeah…come here."

Larissa inched back to her mom and into her lap and hugged her, "I love you mommy."

Sharpay smiled, "I love you too, honey." She smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

Joanne just watched as this played out, knowing to not interfere. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, "Well…I'm glad that worked itself out," she said, clearly trying to remain neutral through this. "Now Larissa, what makes you get so scared about hearing a car drive by?"

Larissa looked up from her mom's shoulder, "It…I can hear it coming over to me," she said, starting to get shaky again. "I don't like the sound," she said as more tears welled up in her eyes.

"You do that the cars can't get you when you're inside, right," she asked gently.

She nodded, "Yes, but the sound…it's loud!" She clung to her mother.

Joanne nodded, "Okay, I think we'll stop here for today; I don't want to upset Larissa anymore than she already is," she said, setting the paper she had in her hands down. "Larissa, would you like to come see me again and see if we can't get the sound to stop?"

Larissa nodded, "Okay," she said, starting to calm down.

"Good," Joanne said, grabbing her schedule book. She looked up at Troy and Sharpay, "How do Wednesdays at 4:00 sound; for now anyway?"

Troy nodded, "I think we can do that," he said, looking over at Sharpay, "Does that work for you?"

"Yeah…do you want to meet with all of us or just Larissa?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to meet with Larissa only."

Sharpay shook her head, "No, we don't mind; I was just curious." She looked at Larissa, "Would you like to come see Joanne again next week; just the two of you?"

"Where would you be," she asked, looking up at her mom.

"Right out there in the waiting room and if you need me, that is where you'll find me…or daddy if he brings you. How does that sound?"

"Does that work for you," Troy asked, taking Larissa's hand.

She nodded, "Okay…but you have to be right out there," she said, pointing in the direction of the waiting room.

Joanne smiled, "Don't worry, they will be; besides if it's just the two of us, we can talk about…well anything you want," she said with a wink.

Larissa smiled, "Okay."

Troy stood up, "Thanks again for seeing us on such short notice; you don't know how much this has helped."

"I think I do," she said as she looked over at Sharpay who was giving Larissa yet another hug. "But you're welcome anyway," she said with a smile.

"So we'll see you next week then," Sharpay asked.

Joanne nodded, "I'll be here."

"Me too," Larissa said, thinking her parents were leaving her out of the conversation.

"Well I hope you'll be here," Sharpay said with a smile. "Ready to go home?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Okay let's go then," Troy said as they walked out of Joanne's office. "I think that went well," he said once they were in the hallway.

Sharpay smiled, "Yeah, so do I."

* * *

**Friday…**

The day after seeing Joanne, Troy and Sharpay had a few words with Larissa's teacher and principal. To their (Troy and Sharpay's) surprise, there was no yelling; but it did take a lot to finally get through to Mrs. Hughes that Larissa really did have PTSD. Both she and Mrs. Greene apologized to both Troy and Sharpay and to Larissa for what had happened.

Because the week had been so long, Troy decided that he and Sharpay needed to get out that night. He had called Sharpay's father, who had wanted to spend more time with his grandchildren to come and watch them.

"So where are we going," Sharpay asked as she got into the car.

"You'll see," Troy said with a playful smile as he started the car and drove to the restaurant.

Sharpay shook her head and smiled. As they neared the restaurant, an even bigger smile came across her face, "Troy, isn't this where we went…"

"On our first date," he finished.

"Yeah," she said, looking at the exterior of the restaurant.

He nodded, "Well, you would be correct then," he said as he opened her door.

She smiled, "I can't believe we're here again," she said as she took his hand.

"I thought that we could use a special night." He opened the door for her, "After you, milady," he said, gesturing for her to go inside first.

"Thank you." She walked in, "Wow, it has really changed…for the better that is," she made sure to add.

"Yeah, it has." He walked over to the desk, "Bolton, reservation for two," he said to the hostess.

She looked at the list, "Very good sir," she said with a smile. She grabbed two menus and handed them to the waitress, "Table 14," she said.

The waitress nodded and looked at Troy and Sharpay, "This way please." She led them to a secluded table near the back of the restaurant, "Is everything to your liking," she asked once they were seated.

"Very much so, thank you," Troy said. The waitress nodded and walked away. Troy looked over at Sharpay, "I made sure to get this table; they say it's the best one in the house."

She smiled, "And rightly so," she said as she leaned in to kiss him. The kiss became more passionate as Troy deepened it. After a few moments, they parted, "Good choice," she said softly.

"I had a feeling you'd like it," he said, leaning back in to kiss her again. He stopped when he saw the waitress come back to take their drink orders. After she left, he looked back at Sharpay, "Now, where were we?"

"Right about here," she said as she kissed him.

* * *

"But I want the pink one," Kayleigh whined.

Neil (Sharpay's father) sighed, "Honey, you said you wanted the green one," he said as he tried to once again hand her the green care bear for her to sleep with.

"I don't want that one!" She yelled. She crossed her arms and frowned.

"Ugh!" Ana groaned as she pulled the covers over her head, "Go to bed, Kayleigh," she said, clearly annoyed with her little sister.

"Okay," Neil said, "Here is your choice: you may either have the green bear or no bear at all," he said firmly. **(LOL, I had to do this the other day with one of my kids…boy was she unhappy…but it worked!)**

Kayleigh thought for a moment and then frowned, "I…want…the…pink…one!" She yelled.

"Shut up, Kayleigh," Ana said.

"Anastasia," Neil said crossly.

She looked at him, "Sorry, papa," she said, realizing what words she had used.

"Thank you," he said, turning his attention back to his other granddaughter, "We do not yell in this house, young lady," he said as he got up. "No bear tonight," he said as he placed the bear back up on the shelf.

Kayleigh was now in full tantrum mode, "But I want a bear! I can't sleep without one!"

Ana looked at her grandfather, "It's true, papa," she said.

"What do your mom and dad do when she does this," he asked.

She pointed to the bear at the very end, "They give her that one and then say 'goodnight' and leave," she said, wanting to get back to her routine and go to sleep.

He nodded, "Thank you." He handed Kayleigh the yellow bear that was at the end, "Here is your bear," he said as he handed it to her, "Now goodnight." He helped her to lie down, even though she was still screaming and kissed her forehead. He then walked over to Ana, "Goodnight, sweetie," he said, kissing her on the forehead as well.

"Goodnight," she said with a yawn. She looked at Kayleigh, "Stop it!"

Kayleigh stopped screaming for a moment and looked at Neil, "I want mommy and daddy!"

"They are out and will be back later," he said, his patience lost with her. "Now go to bed please," he said, covering her up again.

Seeing that she had been defeated, Kayleigh simply looked at him, "Humph!" She rolled over and closed her eyes.

Neil nearly burst out laughing; his youngest granddaughter was truly just like her mother. "Goodnight," he said, somehow keeping it together. He turned off the light and walked out of the room and down the hall into Zachary's room, "All ready for bed?"

Zachary nodded, "Yes, but I want mommy to read to me," he said with a puppy dog face.

"Well, how about if I do…since I am your mommy's daddy," he said.

Zachary thought for a moment, "Okay."

Neil smiled and read the book that Zachary had picked out. By the time he was finished, he noticed that Zachary was sound asleep. Neil covered the little boy up, turned off the light, and walked out of the room. He then walked into Larissa's room, "How are you doing in here?"

She looked up at him, "When are mommy and daddy coming home?"

"Probably after you fall asleep, sweetie," he said as he tucked her in. "But I'll make sure to send them in here to give you an extra goodnight kiss."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm," he said as he kissed her forehead, "Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight, papa." Larissa closed her eyes and went to bed.

* * *

As Troy and Sharpay walked through the park after dinner, Troy took something out of his pocket, "I figured that you deserved something after the week we've had," he said, handing her the box.

She smiled, "What is it?"

"Well if I tell you then you won't be surprised."

"Okay," she said as she slowly opened the box. "Troy!"

He smiled, "Do you like it?"

"Like it? Troy, this is the sweetest thing you've ever done for me," she said as she opened the heart-shaped locket which contained pictures of all four of their children inside.

"Well you did say that Larissa and Ana were always going to be in your heart…and I figured that also went for Kayleigh and Zach," he said as he helped her put the locket on.

She wiped away the tears that had started to come down her face, "This is the sweetest gift I have ever gotten." She kissed him. When they broke apart, her smile faded, "Wait, I didn't get anything for you."

He smiled, "Sure you did."

She looked confused, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you married me, didn't you?"

More tears fell down her face, "Troy!" She kissed him again, only this time the kiss was much more passionate than before.

As they broke apart, Troy smiled, "I take it you like it then?"

"I love it, and I love you," she said as she took his hand.

"I love you too," he said, squeezing her hand.

* * *

**Okay so no cliffhanger, but I thought I'd give you a nice, sweet chapter for once, LOL. I hope you liked it! So what did you think of what Troy gave to Sharpay; and how about Kayleigh? Please review and thanks for reading!**


	18. Chapter 18 REVISED

**_I am changing this chapter a bit; instead of the musical at the middle school being _Grease_, it's going to be _The Sound of Music._ It's a little…better for middle school-aged children!_**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I'm glad you liked the Troy/Sharpay fluff. **

**A/N: I would like to thank nikpik for the idea for giving me a great idea for the story, which will be in this chapter!**

**A/N #2: There is some mild language in this chapter, but only because it's in the song that I'm using. You'll see!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I do not own the lyrics to _The Sound of Music_ though. **

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* * *

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 18**_

**Monday Morning; Cross Home…**

Katie was pacing back and forth in her room; she had found out that the callbacks would be sooner than she had thought…much sooner…today! As she paced, she began to bite her nails, one of her famous nervous habits.

Kelsi walked to the doorway and just watched her daughter for a moment, smiling. She loved the fact that Katie had such an interest in theatre; and the fact that Katie was working harder on her schoolwork only proved to both Kelsi and Jason that she really wanted to do something with theatre. After a few more moments of watching her, Kelsi walked into the room, "Good morning."

Katie looked at her mom, "Hi," she said, nails still in her mouth. She quickly took her index finger's nail out of her mouth and wiped it on her pants, "I'm just a little…um…I was just thinking about…"

"It's all right, honey; you're nervous. Trust me, I get nervous a lot," Kelsi said as she walked over to Katie.

"You do?"

She nodded, "Yeah…whenever I turn in a play for the University, I get nervous. I never know if they are going to use it or another play," she said. "So you are not alone," she said as she gave her a reassuring hug. "Come on, your dad had to leave for a meeting, so I'm going to take you and your sister to school."

Katie slowly stood up and grabbed her backpack and walked downstairs with her mom. "If I make the callbacks, can I go to them?"

"Of course, honey. Your dad and I support you 100 percent on this."

"Okay," she said as she took her lunch bag off the counter and placed it in her bag.

Kelsi walked over to Madison who was watching 'The Wiggles.' "Come on honey, time for school." She turned off the TV, picked Maddy up, and grabbed her bag. "Let's go," she said to both girls.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

"I'll see you later," Gabi said as she kissed Ryan goodbye. She had an early meeting at the elementary school; she walked over to Theresa, "I don't want to see you getting any more detentions, understand," she said firmly. She and Ryan were quite disappointed when they found out that Theresa had received yet another detention in English, this time for passing notes.

Theresa nodded, "Okay," she said quietly.

Gabi turned to go, but stopped when she remembered something. She turned around, "Ryan, Theresa has a dentist appointment today at 3:30; I'll take Michael home and will pick up Angie, so can you take Theresa?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I can do that," he said.

"Thanks." She smiled and hugged Ryan, "Oh, and remember we have the doctor's appointment tomorrow at 4:30." They were originally going to go to the doctor the previous week, but Michael had gotten a case of the stomach flu, which he spread to Angie, making it impossible for the two to get to the doctor.

"I already marked it down, Gabi," he said with a smile. "Don't worry; I'll be there."

She smiled, "Okay." She kissed him, Theresa, Michael, and Angie all goodbye and then left, noticing what time it was.

Ryan turned to the kids, "Well, we should be getting ready," he said, looking at the three. "Theresa, did you finish that math homework?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"All of it?"

"I did it, okay?" She got up and walked upstairs to her room, threw her homework into her bag and came back downstairs.

Michael had already brought his bag down, since he had to finish writing his two sentences that he had for homework. "I'm ready, daddy," he said, holding up his bag.

Ryan smiled, "I see that."

"Can we go," Theresa asked with an attitude.

Ryan walked over to her, "What have I told you about using that tone?"

"But I'm ready and I don't feel like waiting forever just for them," she said, gesturing to her brother and sister.

"That is enough, Theresa," Ryan said crossly. He looked over at Michael and Angie, "Ready to go?"

The two nodded.

"Let's go then," he said as he grabbed his keys and briefcase. "And Theresa, please be ready to go at 3:00," he said as he placed Angie in her car seat.

"Yeah, yeah," she said as she got into the car.

Ryan shook his head and got into the car, "And enough with the attitude," he said, looking over at Theresa. "I know you're not happy about getting a detention, but that is what happens when we don't listen in class," he said as he started the car and backed out of the driveway.

"It was Kari's fault," she said, crossing her arms.

_This is going to be a long day,_ Ryan thought to himself as he drove the kids to school.

* * *

**Bolton Home…**

"Mommy, Kayleigh hitted me," Zachary said, frowning at his sister.

Sharpay looked at Kayleigh, "Why did you hit your brother?"

She shrugged, "He was singing that song again and it was annoying," she whined.

"That is still no reason to hit anyone," Sharpay said as she finished making Zachary's lunch. "Here honey," she said, handing it to him.

Larissa came downstairs, "I can't find my math homework," she said, nearly in tears.

Troy walked over to her, "Look in your left hand."

She looked at the piece of paper in her hand, "Oh," she said, turning a bright shade of pink. She quickly placed it in her bag and opened the coat closet to get her coat out. Unfortunately, as she closed the door, she failed to notice that her fingers were in the way. "OUCH!" She screamed. She then started to cry as the pain increased dramatically. **(I did that a few months ago…and wow does it ever hurt!)**

Sharpay quickly went to the freezer and got an icepack, "Here, put this on," she said as she wrapped the icepack in a paper towel before handing it to Larissa. "Trust me, it'll dull the pain," she said as she examined the very sore fingers on Larissa's left hand.

Kayleigh, who was watching all of this play out, did not like the fact that her sister was getting all of this attention. She looked at Ana, who seemed to be staring at the ceiling and gently pushed her, causing Ana to lose her balance and nearly fall on Kayleigh. "Mommy," Kayleigh cried, "Ana pushed me!"

Ana simply looked shocked, "What? But I…I didn't…mommy, I didn't do anything," she said, wiping her eyes as she stood up.

Troy walked over to Ana and Kayleigh, "What happened," he asked, looking at the two.

"She pushed me!" Kayleigh said, frowning at her sister.

"Daddy she pushed me over," Ana said, looking her sister in the eye.

Troy looked at Kayleigh, "Is this true? Did you push your sister?"

"No, she pushed me!" Kayleigh stomped on Ana's foot and walked to the counter to grab her backpack.

Ana in return, cried from the pain.

"Kayleigh Michelle Bolton, that is completely unacceptable," Troy said firmly. "Do this again and you will have no TV time tonight."

Kayleigh looked at the ground; she had gone just a little too far, but at least she was able to get her dad's attention. "Fine," she said quietly. She marched to the garage door and waited for her siblings and mother to walk over.

Troy shook his head and then walked over to Ana, "Have a great day, honey." He kissed her head and walked over to Zachary, "Don't put any dirt in your friends' lunchbox," he said firmly, remembering what had happened on Friday.

"Okay," he said as he shook his head in defeat.

Troy shook his head and walked over to Larissa, "Have a great day, and I'm sure that your fingers will feel better soon, sweetie." He kissed her head as well. He then turned to Sharpay, "Good luck."

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks." She smiled and kissed him, "Have fun in that meeting." She kissed him once more before grabbing her things.

"It still hurts," Larissa said as she and Sharpay walked over to the door.

"Let me see, sweetie," she said as she removed the ice. "Well, you may have a little mark on this finger, but none of them are broken," she said. "I think you're going to be all right," she said as she kissed her forehead.

Kayleigh frowned, "Mommy I hurted my finger too," she said.

Sharpay shook her head, "Kayleigh, you're fine," she said as she ushered her out to the car.

"Nuh-uh," she said as her mom helped her into her seat. "Look."

Sharpay sighed and looked at her finger, "Like I said, you're fine." She helped Ana get into the car and then got in herself. "I do not want to see or hear any fighting back there, understand," she said, glancing at all four children through the rearview mirror as she started the car.

All four children nodded.

"Thank you," she said as she backed out of the driveway and drove to them to school.

* * *

Katie hurried past the people walking in the opposite direction as she made her way over to the music room, where the callbacks were being held. She took a deep breath and walked into the room, where she saw several other students looking over sheet music. Katie began to panic; she had forgotten the piece she was going to sing for the callbacks at home. 

Sharpay walked over to her, "Katie, what's wrong?"

"I forgot my music," she said. "It's on my bed at home!"

"Well, what were you planning on singing," Sharpay asked as she placed a big stack of papers on top of the piano.

She thought for a moment, trying to remember the name of the song, "'My Favorite Things,'" she said.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay." She looked through the stack of papers. "Aha! Here it is," she said as she handed Katie a copy.

"Thank you!" Katie squealed. She found a seat and looked over the lyrics one more time, not seeing her parents sneak in and find a seat in the back; they weren't about to miss their daughter sing, even if it was just a callback.

Sharpay walked to the front of the room, "All right, I'm sure you all know how this is going to work; I'm going to call you up alphabetically," she said, looking at the sheet.

This caused even more butterflies to start fluttering around in Katie's stomach; since her last name began with a C, she knew she'd be one of the…

"Katie Cross," Sharpay said.

…First. She took a deep breath as she made her way to the front of the room. She told the pianist what she was singing and then looked straight ahead, still not seeing her parents (they had ducked down so she wouldn't become more nervous than she already was). She took one more deep breath before she started to sing.

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens  
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens  
Brown paper packages tied up with strings  
These are a few of my favorite things _

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels  
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles  
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings  
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes  
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes  
Silver white winters that melt into springs  
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites  
When the bee stings  
When I'm feeling sad  
I simply remember my favorite things  
And then I don't feel so bad

After much applause, Katie smiled and spotted her parents, who happened to be giving her a standing ovation. She walked over to them, "How long have you been in here?"

"Let's just say we heard the whole thing and you sounded great," Jason said as he kissed her forehead. "That was wonderful, sweetie."

She blushed, "Thank you, dad."

"You have a gorgeous voice," Kelsi said, "You'd make a great Maria."

Katie just smiled to herself and then at Sharpay who waved as she and her parents left the room to pick up Madison.

* * *

Troy pulled up in front of the school at 3:15 and saw that one of the kids was missing: Kayleigh. He sighed, hoping she wasn't in any trouble. He shut off the car and got out, "Where's your sister?" 

"Over there," Ana said, pointing to one of the benches.

Troy saw Kayleigh sitting on the bench with Mrs. Grange, the teacher in charge of the school plays. He walked over to them, "Hi there," he said, kissing Kayleigh's forehead. "Is everything all right?"

Mrs. Grange sighed, "Well, Kayleigh sort of…hit one of her cast mates," Mrs. Grange said as she looked at Kayleigh.

"Kayleigh, why did you do that," Troy asked, sitting on the other side of her.

"She was being annoying," she replied, showing no remorse whatsoever.

"The girl who was playing opposite her was trying to give Kayleigh her lines, since Kayleigh forgot what she was supposed to say," Mrs. Grange explained.

"I didn't need any help!" Kayleigh crossed her arms.

Troy sighed, "I see; well, thank you for talking to her…and believe me, we will be talking about this further when we get home," he said, looking pointedly at Kayleigh.

She bowed her head, knowing that once again, she had gone too far.

"Let's go," Troy said as he led her and the others to the car.

* * *

The dentist finished looking at Theresa's teeth, "Well, you once again have no cavities, but I would like to talk to your father," he said. 

"Why?"

"I'd rather wait until he gets here; that way I can tell the two of you at once," he said gently.

The hygienist soon returned with a concerned Ryan. "What happened," he asked.

The dentist shook his head, "Nothing happened, Mr. Evans; I have observed something with Theresa's teeth, however."

Theresa looked at her dad and then at the dentist, now in full worry mode.

"Don't worry Theresa, it's nothing bad," the dentist said when he saw her face. "I just think, and this is only my opinion, that Theresa should go see an Orthodontist."

"A what," Theresa asked, grabbing her dad's hand.

"It's a special type of dentist who looks at teeth in a different way," the dentist said. "Theresa, I think that you may need braces."

* * *

**Uh oh…anyone here ever have (or still have) braces? I had them! I remember I was 12 when I got them; I got them off when I was** **14…just before I started high school. Anyway, what is Theresa's reaction going to be? And what do you think about Kayleigh? And of course there's Katie. Hehe. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for the reviews, as usual! And yes, I hated braces as well when I had them. I was 12 when I got them put on and got them off the summer before I started high school (so I was 14). I feel your pain, guys, trust me! I had a headgear, rubber bands, you name it, LOL. I still have my bottom retainer (it's basically glued in there)…I could have had it taken off after my wisdom teeth came out (OUCH), but I kept forgetting about it, hehe.**

**Okay, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot and the characters I made up; everything else belongs to Disney.**

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**_Just Like Us, Ch. 19_**

_"It's a special type of dentist who looks at teeth in a different way," the dentist said. "Theresa, I think that you may need braces."_

Theresa just looked at the dentist, shocked. "D-Did you say braces?" She turned to her dad, "But I don't want braces! One of my friends has them and she keeps saying how much they hurt!"

Ryan sighed, "Well, if they are going to help your teeth, then I think you need to get them, honey." He turned to the doctor, "Do you by any chance know of any good Orthodontists that you would recommend to us?"

He nodded, "Yes, I do; her name is Dr. Jansen ((that was my orthodontist!)) and she is one of the best I know." He handed Ryan a card that contained her name, address of the practice, and a phone number.

"Thank you very much," Ryan said as he helped Theresa up. "I'll have to talk to my wife about this first, but we'll probably go that way."

"Daddy, no! I don't want braces," she cried.

"Come on, honey, it'll be okay," he said as he took her hand and led her out of the office.

Theresa cried the entire way down to the car (and it took a good 5 minutes to get down to the car). "This is so unfair," she said as she opened the door and got in. "Maybe mom won't make me get them," she said, wiping her eyes.

Ryan shook his head, "I wouldn't get my hopes up about that; you know how your mom is with health; and that includes dental health," he said as he started the car and drove home.

Once there, Theresa ran into the house and up the stairs to her room. Gabi, who was about to ask her daughter how her day was, just stood there, not knowing what had just happened. She then saw Ryan walk into the house, "Is everything all right? Why did Theresa just fly up the stairs," she asked, quite concerned.

He shook his head, "The dentist said that while she has no cavities that she may need to see an Orthodontist."

Gabi nodded, "Braces, huh?"

"Yep; and she basically freaked out about the whole thing, hence her running up to her room."

She sighed, "Wonderful; and we probably can't help her because neither of us had to go through the trauma of having braces," she said. "Did anyone in your family have them?"

He nodded, "My mom…but she won't be of any help since I have no clue as to where she is…other than that…"

"And her friends who have braces won't be of any help either," Gabi said. "I'm sure they all have horror stories about having braces." Gabi sighed, "Well, I guess we'll just have to do this the tough-love way."

He nodded in agreement, "You're right; on a completely different topic, she apparently did well in school today."

"Well that just balances things out now, doesn't it," she said as she walked upstairs to Theresa's room.

Ryan shook his head and walked over to Michael and Angela who were sitting at the table eating their afternoon snack. "Did you two have a good day," he asked.

"Yes," they said in unison.

"Good; at least two of you did," he said as he sat down with them.

* * *

Katie sat in her room, trying to concentrate on her homework. She couldn't stop thinking about the callbacks, however. She had never sung like that before; she had never taken a voice lesson and yet her pitch had been perfect. She smiled as she continued to think about it. Her daydreaming came to a halt, however, when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly turned her mind back to her homework, "Come in," she called.

Kelsi walked into the room, "How's the homework coming?"

She shrugged, "Okay I guess…I finished my math homework," she said as she handed it to her mom to look over.

"Great," Kelsi said with a smile, "Keep this up and if you…excuse me…when you make the play, your dad and I won't have to keep you from doing it," she said as she handed the homework back to Katie.

She smiled, "Really? I mean you and dad would really let me do the musical?"

She nodded, "Sure; unless you've changed your mind already…"

"No! I mean, no, I haven't."

Kelsi nodded, "So when do you find out about the play?"

She thought for a moment, "I think Mrs. Bolton said she'd post the parts on Friday."

"All right, but until then, both your father and I expect you to keep up with your schoolwork, understand?"

"I will," she said, not wanting to ruin her chance of being in the musical.

"All right," she said as she kissed Katie's forehead. "I'll let you get back to your homework."

She nodded, "Okay."

Kelsi walked out of the room, smiling. Jason, who had just finished cleaning Maddy off (she had spilled her milk all over herself), walked out of Maddy's room and saw the smile on Kelsi's face. "I take it that your little talk went well?"

She nodded, "It sure did; Katie said she'd promise to keep up with her schoolwork if she makes the play."

He smiled, "Great; now if only we could teach our other daughter that we have to keep the lid on the sippy cup, we'd be in great shape."

Kelsi shook her head, "Honey, she's 3; she's bound to do that every now and then."

"Kelsi, I hate to tell you this, but this is the fourth time in the past two weeks that she's done this…and it looks pretty intentional to me."

She shrugged, "Like I said, she's 3."

"Yeah, you're right," he said as he kissed her.

* * *

Sharpay walked into the house, exhausted. She was not happy and she was very wet. She heard more thunder, "Oh shut up," she said to the thunder. She took a deep breath, "No more bad vibes," she said to herself as she tried took off her shoes before entering the kitchen; she wasn't about to get mud all over the house. She took a paper towel, wetted it, and walked back over to her shoes and tried to wipe as much mud off as she could.

Troy walked into the kitchen after having placed Kayleigh in her room. He saw Sharpay, "Hi honey," he said as he went to kiss her, "How was your day?"

She looked up at him, "Well the morning and afternoon was just fine; it was the coming home that got…messy," she said, indicating her shoes.

"What happened?"

She sighed, "Oh let's see…I was driving home when the car decided to overheat…in the rain. After having no luck in getting it to start, I got out and was about to call you when I stepped in mud. Since I was a little…upset by that point, I just got back into the car and sat there until it stopped overheating; thankfully the car then started and I drove home, and here I am now," she said, still quite wet.

He nodded, not exactly knowing the best way to comfort her; he didn't want to tell her what happened with Kayleigh at school that day…

"So," she said as she threw the paper towel away, "How was Kayleigh?"

He sighed, "Are you sure you want to hear this? I mean we can talk about this another time if you want…I can go check the car…"

"Troy."

"Yes?"

"What happened to Kayleigh," she asked, knowing that something had gone wrong.

He nodded and motioned for her to sit down at the table, "Well let's just put it this way: I think that she is under the impression that we don't love her or that we're not giving her as much attention as we are with the other kids," he said as another lightening bolt was seen, followed by thunder ((sorry, but we had this HUGE thunderstorm yesterday, so I decided to write it in)).

Zachary ran downstairs to his mom, "Mommy, I'm scared," he said as he climbed into her lap, not caring that she was wet.

She smiled softly, "It's okay honey, the storm can't hurt you; it's outside and we're inside, remember," she said, hugging him.

"But it's loud," he said as he wiped his eyes. "I don't like it." He paused, "And now I can't play basketball!"

Troy stifled a laugh, "Zach, the rain will stop and then you'll be able to play again," he said as he took the little boy and placed him in his lap. "You'll just have to wait until tomorrow, okay?"

He nodded, "Okay," he said quietly. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"How come you're wet?"

She shook her head, "I had to walk out to the car in the rain," she said, not wanting to take out her anger of what happened to her out on Zachary.

He shook his head, "But you said to stay inside when it rains," he said as he crossed his arms. "You need a time-out."

She chuckled, "And you, my little parent-to-be, needs to go upstairs and let daddy and I talk, okay?"

He nodded, "Okay mommy." He looked outside one more time, "Are you sure it can't hurt us?" He asked, referring to the storm.

"I'm positive," she said as she kissed his forehead.

"Okay," he said as he got out of Troy's lap and walked upstairs.

Sharpay smiled as she watched him go, "He'll be a good dad someday," she said, stifling a laugh. "Anyway, about Kayleigh…she thinks that we don't love her?" She placed her head in her hands, "Why does this sound so familiar?"

"Because the same thing happened with Larissa," he said.

She looked up at him, "That was a rhetorical question, Troy," she said in an aggravated tone. "So…what do we do about it?"

He sighed, "I was thinking that we get all four of them down here and talk to them and tell them that we love each and every one of them equally…or something to that effect."

"I like that idea," she said. "We should tell them now…before Kayleigh starts to feel left out again."

"Good idea. You get Larissa and Ana, and I'll get Kayleigh and Zachary."

She nodded, "Aye, aye, captain." She walked upstairs with him and then headed for Larissa's room, "Hi sweetie," she said as she walked into the room. "How was your day?"

Larissa looked at her mom, "I got scared, but Mrs. Hughes (her teacher) wasn't mean this time…she said that since we were inside that I was okay."

Sharpay smiled, "Good; I'm glad that she helped you feel better. Listen, your daddy and I want to talk to all four of you downstairs, so do you think you can set your gameboy down and play later?"

She nodded, "Okay." She walked out of the room and downstairs.

Sharpay then talked to Ana and told her to go downstairs as well.

Troy walked into Zach's room, "Hey buddy; mommy and I need to talk to you guys downstairs."

Zachary looked at his dad, "Am I in trouble?"

"No, we just need to talk to you, that's all; I promise."

He nodded, "Okay daddy." He walked out of his room and downstairs and joined his sisters and mother.

Troy walked into Kayleigh's room; she had cried herself to sleep after Troy had talked to her about what had happened that day. "Kayleigh," he said quietly, gently rubbing her back. "Kayleigh wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes, "I'm sorry daddy," she said, starting to cry again.

"Don't worry about it…mommy and I do, however, want to talk to the four of you," he said as he picked her up and carried her downstairs.

She wiped her eyes and sat down next to Larissa on the couch.

Sharpay waited for Troy to join her, "Okay, so we need to talk to the four of you about something rather important," she said, sitting down in the chair that was opposite the couch.

Troy joined her in the chair that was next to her. "And before any of you think it, no, you're not in trouble. But we have noticed that you all seem to think that…your mom and I don't love you for some reason," he said, looking over at Kayleigh. "But that's not true; we love you all just the same," he explained. "That will never, ever change."

Sharpay nodded, "Daddy's right; we love you all, even though we show it in different ways; the only reason for that is…because you're not all the same person. You are individuals and therefore we are going to treat you differently…but you have got to understand that we love you all."

Kayleigh looked at her mom, "You do?"

She nodded, "Yes, sweetie; even though daddy and I might get mad every now and then, that doesn't mean that we've stopped loving you. We could never do that," she said as she gestured for Kayleigh to come over to her. As she did, Sharpay pulled her into her lap, "And you guys don't need to fight for attention, okay," she said, looking mainly at Kayleigh.

"Your mom's right," Troy said as he looked at all four kids, "We love you unconditionally, which means no matter what happens, we'll still love you."

"Even if I drop a glass by mistake," Larissa asked, close to tears as she remembered the incident.

"Yes, we will still love you if that happens, sweetie," Sharpay said as she walked over to Larissa and hugged her. She then did the same with Zachary and Ana.

"But you always spend time with them," Kayleigh said as tears fell down her face again.

Troy sighed, "Is that why you pushed Ana this morning and hit that little girl this afternoon," he asked, earning a look of 'what?' from Sharpay. "I'll explain later," he whispered. She nodded.

Kayleigh hesitated for a moment and then slowly nodded. "I thought you didn't love me no more," she said. "Daddy I don't feel good."

"Kayleigh what did we just say, honey," Troy said just as Kayleigh threw up. "Oops," he said. He picked her up and rushed her to the bathroom.

Sharpay sighed and went to get some rags to clean up the mess.

* * *

**Next Afternoon…**

Ryan picked Angie up from school and took her to his dad's house, since he and Gabi had the doctor's appointment that day. Gabi said she would pick Theresa up from her school (since Michael went to the elementary school, she would simply take him with her) and take her and Michael over to Ryan's father's house. They decided to leave Gabi's car there and take Ryan's to go to the doctor.

"I'm nervous," she said as they pulled up in front of the building.

"I'll be right here," Ryan said as they walked into the waiting room and signed in. They sat down and waited as patiently as they could.

"Gabriella Evans," a nurse called.

"Over here," Gabi said as she took Ryan's hand and walked with him to the exam room.

"The doctor will be with you in a moment," the nurse said as she gave Gabi a dressing gown to change into.

After waiting for a few minutes, the doctor finally came in, "Hi Gabi, Ryan," she said. "How are you doing today?"

Gabi sighed, "I'm really nervous."

"Well you know the drill, right," she asked as she took her stethoscope and placed it on Gabi's stomach, listening for a heartbeat. She smiled, "Well, you're definitely pregnant," she said as she got the ultrasound machine ready. She placed the gel on Gabi's stomach, causing her to gasp lightly. "Ready," she asked.

Gabi nodded, taking Ryan's hand.

The doctor placed the device on Gabi and looked around and finally found what she was looking for. "You have a very healthy baby in there," she said with a smile.

Gabi breathed a sigh of relief. "How far along am I?"

The doctor looked at the monitor again and then at the papers that Gabi had filled out, "Well, judging by this, you're 9 weeks pregnant," she said with a smile.

* * *

**So, we have good news for Ryan and Gabi and not so good news for Theresa. I took one of your guys' ideas (I'm sorry but I forgot who suggested it) and decided to have Troy and Sharpay talk to all four kids. Please review and remember ideas are always welcome! Thanks for reading. Also, should I keep going with this story, or do you want me to stop soon? Please, please, please let me know!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you for all the reviews, guys! And thank you for wanting me to continue with the story. I am planning to continue, but this is going to probably be the last story in the series…but don't worry; I'm not ending this one yet!**

**A/N: theferretmenace, I'm so sorry for what is probably going to happen! I hope you'll be able to update your story soon. BTW, her stories are awesome!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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**_Just Like Us, Ch. 20_**

**One Week Later…Saturday…**

After a few sessions of meeting with Joanne, Larissa slowly started to get better. She was having fewer anxiety attacks at school and at home. As for the rest of the kids, they now knew that their parents loved them; Kayleigh finally got the message that her parents really did love her, even if she wasn't the center of attention. There was just one small problem left: she missed her sister acting beside her.

Troy and Sharpay decided to have a dinner party since it had been quite a while since they had seen Jason and Kelsi, Ryan and Gabi, and their kids.

"Kayleigh will you please grab those two glasses," Sharpay asked as she set the dining room table.

"Okay," she said as she walked into the kitchen to grab the glasses. "Here, mommy."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said as she took them from her and set them on the table. "There we go; all finished. What do you think?"

Kayleigh shrugged, "Good I guess."

Sharpay smiled and picked her daughter up and walked with her to backyard where Troy was with Zach and Ana, playing basketball. Larissa was sitting in one of the patio chairs, watching them. If there was anything that she refused to play, it was basketball.

"Troy, they're going to be here soon," Sharpay called out to him. "Why don't you finish up and then come inside?"

He nodded, "Hold on." He walked over to Zachary, "All right buddy, are you ready to make a free throw?"

Zachary smiled, "Yep!"

Troy smiled and handed him the ball, "Okay, just throw it the way I showed you earlier."

"Okay daddy." Zachary threw the ball which hit the rim of the net, but didn't go in. "I didn't get it, daddy," he said, angry at himself.

"Don't worry about it; that kind of throw takes a lot of practice…trust me, I know," he said as he walked over to the disappointed five year old. "Come on, let's go inside," he said as Ana picked up the ball.

"Wait, daddy," she said as she walked to the free throw line and threw the ball…which went straight into the basket. "I did it!"

"Good job honey," Troy said as he took her hand and walked inside.

Zachary looked at her, "That's not fair. I want to be good too!"

She shrugged, "Maybe it's because I'm taller," she said as the doorbell rang.

Sharpay sighed, hoping that her son's bad mood would vanish soon. She walked to the door and opened it, "Jason, Kelsi, and Maddy come on in," she said, opening the door wider to let them in. "Wait a minute; where's Katie?"

Jason sighed, "Hang on." He walked back out to the car. Katie was trying to open the door to get back in. "Honey, what are you doing?"

"Dad, my dress is stuck," she said, still trying to open the door. "And I can't open the door!"

He stifled a laugh as he unlocked the car, "There, now try to open the door."

She tried again, succeeding, "Oh…I didn't know it was locked," she said, blushing.

"It's all right; come on, let's go," he said as he closed the door and locked the car.

She nodded, "Okay," she said. She had been beaming since she found out about the play; she had won the role of Liesl.

Jason walked with her back to the house, "Here she is," he said as the two walked in.

"Hi Katie, how are you doing," Sharpay asked.

"Um…okay I guess," she said softly. She felt a little weird seeing her drama teacher outside of the classroom, even though she had seen Sharpay dozens of times before. This, however, was different. Katie had never expected to want to act and when she signed up for Drama as one of her classes, she had forgotten that her godmother taught it.

Sharpay smiled, "Great; so come on in, guys. Katie, Larissa is in the family room," she said when she saw Katie looking around.

She smiled, "Thank you." She walked into the family room.

Kayleigh, who was still in Sharpay's arms, smiled at Madison, "Want to go play?"

Madison nodded and looked at her mom who nodded, "Okay!" She and Kayleigh hurried off.

Kelsi smiled, "I must say, I wasn't expecting those two to get along the way they do."

"Me neither," Sharpay said as the doorbell rang again. She went to open it, "Hello and congratulations," she said as she let Ryan, Gabi, and the kids into the house. She looked at Theresa, who was frowning, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"She's still upset about getting braces," Gabi explained.

"Oh that's right; when is she getting them," Sharpay asked as everyone adjourned to the living room.

"Two more weeks," Ryan said. He had taken Theresa to the Orthodontist two days after the visit to the dentist. "She had spacers put in yesterday, so she's still kind of sore in the back of her mouth."

"That and she's very upset that she won't be able to eat popcorn, chew gum, or eat a variety of things for however long she'll need the braces for," Gabi added.

Troy, who had to pry Zachary away from the back door, finally joined the adults, "Sorry about that," he said as he greeted everyone. "So Gabi, how are you feeling?"

She smiled, "I'm great," she said, rubbing her stomach. "When we went to the doctor, she said I was 9 weeks, so I guess I'm 10 weeks along now," she said, her smile plastered to her face.

* * *

"Gabi I have one request," Kelsi said when everyone sat down for dinner.

"What's that," she asked, getting Angela settled into her booster seat.

"Try to have the baby on a day when we aren't all at the hospital at the same time," she said, remembering nearly every other emergency that had gone on.

Gabi chuckled, "I'll do my best, but no promises."

"Mom am I allowed to eat this," Theresa asked, pointing to the food on her plate.

She nodded, "Yes, none of this will make the spacers fall out honey."

"Okay," she said, still not touching her food.

"What's wrong," Ryan asked.

"My teeth hurt again; I think the medicine wore off," she said as she cringed at the pain. **(Oh, how I remember the pain from those spacers!)**

Ryan looked at Troy, "Do you guys have any Tylenol?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'll be right back," he said as he got up and walked into the kitchen.

"So Katie, are you excited," Sharpay asked, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded, "Uh-huh. And mom and dad said that I can definitely be in it," she said with a smile. Since Katie had been keeping her grades up and turning in all of her work on time, Jason and Kelsi said that she could be in the musical.

Larissa looked at her mom, "Be in what?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Katie is going to be in The Sound of Music," Sharpay said.

Larissa looked down at her plate, "Oh," she said as she thought about the time she had been in the same play in the community theatre's production.

"Here we go," Troy said as he handed Ryan the Children's Tylenol.

"Thanks," Ryan said, giving Theresa the required dose. "Remember, it's going to take at least 20 minutes for it to work."

She nodded, "I know, dad," she said frigidly.

"Theresa, attitude," Gabi said quietly to her daughter. She was about to take another bite of food when she felt a wave of nausea. "Uh, will you excuse me," she said, quickly getting up and leaving the dining room.

Ryan sighed, "She was getting better and now it's coming back."

"It is morning sickness, right," Sharpay asked, hoping Gabi didn't have the flu.

He nodded, "Yeah; for some reason it's worse this time."

"I read that it is worse if you're having a boy," Troy said.

Ryan gave him a look, "Okay…"

Gabi then walked back into the room, "Sorry about that."

"Are you okay," Ryan asked softly.

She nodded, "I'll be fine." She looked over at Katie, "So Katie, I didn't know that you were so into theatre."

Katie shrugged, "Me neither," she said with a smile.

"I can throw baskets," Zachary said proudly.

Troy suppressed a laugh, "I think you mean that you can throw a basketball."

"That's what I said," Zachary said, frowning at his dad.

"We know, honey," Sharpay said, smiling.

* * *

After dinner, everyone went into the family room.

Katie couldn't help but to start humming one of the songs from the musical. Larissa heard this and started humming along with her. Not long after that, the two started to sing.

The hills are alive with the sound of music With songs they have sung for a thousand years The hills fill my heart with the sound of music My heart wants to sing every song it hears

My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely I know I will hear what I've heard before My heart will be blessed with the sound of music And I'll sing once more

Troy looked at Sharpay and smiled, "I think that the theatre bug is starting to hit her again."

She nodded, "I think so too." She looked over at Kayleigh who had a very large grin on her face. "Did you like that," she asked her.

Kayleigh looked up at her mom, "Yeah…mommy does Larissa like acting again?"

"I don't know…maybe."

Kayleigh simply smiled again at her sister.

"That was wonderful, girls," Kelsi said as she walked over to the two. "Larissa, you should think about auditioning for the play that the community theatre is doing."

"N-No," Larissa said quickly. "I'd be bad at it."

"Just think about it, okay sweetie," Sharpay said as she walked over to Larissa. "Your voice is so pretty and I remember when you never wanted to leave the stage," she said with a smile.

She shook her head, "I don't want to! I can't!" She ran up to her room and closed the door behind her.

Katie just stood there, "I…I didn't mean to hurt her feelings…"

Sharpay shook her head, "You didn't do anything, honey; don't worry." Sharpay walked over to Troy, "I'm going to see if I can talk to her."

He nodded, "Okay…good luck."

"Thanks." She excused herself and left the family room and went up to Larissa's room. "Larissa, can I come in?"

"Okay," Larissa said, lifting her head up from her pillow.

Sharpay opened the door and walked over to her, "Sweetie, why don't you want to try acting again?"

Larissa sat up, "I'd get scared, mommy," she said as she wiped her eyes.

"Honey, do you remember the first time you tried out for a play at the community theatre? Do you remember how nervous you were?"

She nodded, "Yes…"

"And do you remember how well you did? If I remember correctly, and I do, you did so well that you ended up with the lead role of Annie," Sharpay said as she rubbed Larissa's back.

She took a deep breath, "If I try…would you come with me?"

"Of course I would; besides, you can't drive yet, so someone would have to be there with you," she said with a smile.

She shrugged, "I guess I could…try."

"That's my girl," Sharpay said, hugging her. "Want to come back downstairs?"

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

Theresa walked out of the back room and into the waiting room where her mom was waiting for her. She looked up from the magazine she was reading, "Hey there," she said with a smile. "Well? Let's see."

Theresa shook her head, "I look stupid," she said, covering her mouth so her mom wouldn't be able to see her new braces.

"I'm sure that's not true," Gabi said as she walked over to her daughter. "Come on, honey."

She took a deep breath and parted her lips, allowing her teeth to show. "I hate them," she said as she showed her mom.

Gabi smiled, "I know it's hard right now, but believe me; you'll be happy with the results. Do you remember what the Orthodontist said?"

"My smile will be prettier," Theresa said, rolling her eyes. "It's ugly right now though!"

"No it's not," Gabi said, trying to cheer her daughter up.

The doctor then walked out, "Theresa, do you remember what I told you about what you can and can't eat," she asked.

She nodded, "Yes…you gave me the paper on it," she said, gesturing to the paper her mom had in her purse.

"Very good; and remember, you need to brush your teeth after every meal; including lunch," she said firmly.

"Okay," Theresa said quietly, hating every minute of this. "When do I get them off?"

"Well I don't know right now, but if I had to guess, I'd say 2 to 2 ½ years," she said, causing Theresa's eyes to moisten.

Gabi saw this, "Um, thank you very much and when do we need to see you next?"

"One month; just make an appointment with the receptionist," she said, handing her Theresa's file. "I'll see you later, Theresa," she said with a smile; and remember, in the end you will appreciate the fact that you got braces."

Theresa nodded, not wanting to talk; she knew that if she did, she'd start crying.

"Come on sweetie," Gabi said once she made the appointment.

The walk to the car was silent. As Gabi put the key in the ignition, she heard Theresa start to cry. "Honey, it'll be all right," she said, comforting her daughter. She leaned over to hug her.

"I hate this, mommy!" She cried.

Gabi knew that Theresa was very upset; she only called her 'mommy' when something was wrong. "Everything will be okay," she said softly.

Theresa pulled out of her mom's grasp and looked out the window, "No it won't," she cried.

Gabi sighed and started the car and drove home.

* * *

**Okay so I wanted to get all three families together for a little dinner…so do you think Larissa will go back into theatre? Do you think Theresa will get used to life with braces? Please review and I love your ideas and suggestions (I've used many of them!), so send them in! Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you for all the suggestions! And thank you for reviewing in general; it truly makes me want to write more. Okay, here is chapter 21. Enjoy!**

**A/N: I want to thank Lipshake for giving me the idea for this chapter. I hope you all like it as much as I did!**

**A/N #2: Okay, this is more like a question: does anyone have a suggestion for a musical that someone like Larissa would tryout for? I can't use _Annie_ since I used that before. So if you have any suggestions, please either PM me or send it to me in your review. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 21**_

**One Month Later…**

Theresa was still quite angry at her parents for making her get braces; she hated them more than anything, but she was glad that no one at school was teasing her about them. Many of her classmates had them as well, but that didn't make her feel any better. The only thing she was getting used to was that they were in her mouth; they still hurt, but not as much as when she had first gotten them a month earlier.

She walked downstairs, avoiding all eye contact with her parents. For the past month, she had managed to do exactly that. She walked into the kitchen and sat down for breakfast and noticed that her mom had served the food that she detested the most: oatmeal. "Ugh," she said as she pushed the bowl away from her.

"Theresa, you need to eat something," a 4 month pregnant Gabi said. "I'm not going to let you starve."

"I'm not hungry," she said as she crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.

Gabi was about to say something more, but Ryan stopped her, "She has to learn that she's not going to get everything she wants in life," he said aside to her. "If she doesn't want breakfast, then she will be hungry until lunch." He looked at her, "Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay…but I hate doing this to her…not making her eat?"

"Like I said, she has to learn the hard way," he said as he reassured her. "And you don't look so good…are you okay?"

She shrugged, "I don't feel well, but I'll be okay. It's just morning sickness." And with that, she rushed to the bathroom.

Ryan walked over to Theresa, "Theresa, look at me please," he said sternly.

She looked up at him, "I'm not hungry."

"Fine, but this is your only choice for breakfast today; if you don't want it, then you won't be having breakfast…you'll have to wait until lunch." He waited for a response. When he didn't get one, he continued, "Your mom has been working tirelessly to make foods that you are allowed to eat; the least you could do is say 'no thank you' when she offers you something. Is that understood?" He looked pointedly at her.

She nodded, "Yes," she said quietly.

"All right then. Please go get your things; mom's not feeling well today so I'm going to drive you guys to school." He looked at Michael who had just finished his breakfast. "You look like you're ready to go." Michael nodded. "Okay, let's get your sister," he said as he walked to the stairs.

Gabi emerged from the bathroom, "Ryan, I'll take Michael to school; that's where I'm going anyway."

He shook his head, "No you're not; you look like you're going to pass out at any second. For your sake and the baby's, I highly suggest calling in sick," he said as he handed her the phone that just happened to be in his hand.

"Yes, daddy," she said as she took the phone and called the school.

After getting Angela ready, Ryan came back downstairs and looked at Gabi, "Feel better honey." He kissed her goodbye and walked the kids out to the car. "Hold on," he said, looking at Angie and Michael. "Where's your sister?"

Michael pointed to the door to the house, "She sneaked back into the house, daddy."

Ryan sighed and with Angie still in his arms, walked back into the house, "Theresa come out here right now," he said crossly.

She slowly walked out of the laundry room and into the garage. "I don't want to go to school."

"Well you have no choice," he said as he placed Angie in her car seat and then helped Michael with his seatbelt. "Please get in the car."

She rolled her eyes and got into the car, "I hate these stupid braces," she muttered.

* * *

**Bolton Home…**

Sharpay walked downstairs, a smile on her face. She had just gotten off the phone with the travel agency and was practically beaming. "Oh Troy," she called.

He walked over to her, "Did you get it," he asked, a smile on his face as well.

She nodded, "I sure did. So are all of the kids still in the kitchen?"

He looked in the kitchen, "Yes, they're still there."

"Good; let's tell them before they leave," she said, hurrying into the kitchen. "Excuse me everyone, your father and I have little surprise for all of you," Sharpay said as she got their attention. If there was one thing the Bolton kids had in common, it was the fact that they loved surprises…good ones that is.

Ana smiled, "What is it?"

"Well," Troy began, "Do you guys remember when we were talking about taking a vacation over spring break?"

All four kids nodded.

He smiled, "What we didn't tell you was where we were planning on going." He looked at the kids, who were now all ears.

"Where, daddy," Kayleigh asked excitedly.

Troy looked at Sharpay, "Ready?" She nodded, "Disney World," they said at the same time.

Larissa's face lit up, "Disney World? We get to go to Disney World?"

Sharpay smiled, "Uh-huh; we'll be going for an entire week. I just booked the hotel," she said, looking over at Zachary. "What do you think about that," she asked the little boy who was just sitting there with a big grin on his face.

"Can we meet Mickey and Donald and Goofy," he asked, beaming in his chair.

"That's the plan," Troy said as Zachary ran to his parents. Troy picked him up, "I take it you like this idea?"

He nodded, "When can we go? I want to go now!"

Sharpay chuckled, "We're going next week; that's when you all have spring break," she said to him. She then looked at Ana, who looked rather worried. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Mommy, there's big crowds there," she said, suddenly scared. "I don't want to go," she said as a few tears came down her face.

Sharpay walked over to her, "It'll be okay honey; daddy and I won't go anywhere without you, and if you'd like, one of us will always hold your hand. How does that sound?"

But she hadn't heard the last part of what her mom said; Ana started to cry and breathe rapidly and put a hand to her head, as she started to feel rather dizzy.

Sharpay saw this and picked her up. She looked at Troy, "She's having a panic attack," she said quietly. She turned her attention back to Ana, who was now in full blown panic mode.

"I…don't…want…to…go," she sobbed, barely getting each word out.

"It's okay, sweetie," Sharpay said. She turned to Troy, "Can you take these guys to school? I'll take Ana after she settles down."

He nodded, "Sure." He walked over to Ana, "You will love it there, honey; there is nothing to worry about," he said gently as he kissed her forehead.

Sharpay then walked her into the den and sat down on the couch and rubbed her back. Her (Ana) doctor said that this would happen with Autism ((It's true; it really does happen)) and that all one could do was wait it out. She rubbed Ana's back and just held her until she could hear her breathing start to return to normal; even then she still held her close. "You're okay sweetie; you're safe," she said quietly as she continued to rub her back.

Ana's sobs subsided and she rested her head on her mom's shoulder. After a few more minutes of sitting down, Ana looked at her mom, "Do you promise everything will be okay," she asked quietly.

"I promise, honey. I know you're afraid of the crowds, but daddy and I will be there, as will your sisters and brother."

She nodded slowly, "Okay," she said as her breathing returned to normal.

Sharpay hugged her once more before standing up, "Ready to go to school," she asked as she walked her out of the den.

She nodded, "Mommy, where did daddy go," she asked, seeing the empty breakfast table.

"He took the others to school; don't worry, I told him that I would take you today," she said as she set her down. "Where is your backpack?"

"Here," she said, pointing to the bag.

"All right, let's put your lunch in it and go to school, okay," she said gently.

"Okay," she said, taking her lunch from Sharpay and placing it into her bag. "I'm ready now," she said, standing up with her bag.

"Let's go then," Sharpay said as she escorted her out to the car.

* * *

**Saturday…**

Troy put one more shirt into his suitcase and closed it, "All right, I'm all packed," he said, looking over at Sharpay, whose suitcase was only half-full. "Oh boy," he said to himself. He walked over to Sharpay, "Please don't tell me that you're still trying to find stuff to pack; we have to leave for the airport in 45 minutes."

"Don't worry, I have everything ready, I just have to place it into the suitcase…that and I was helping Kayleigh and Ana pack their bags." She paused, "Speaking of that, do you think you could help Zachary finish packing? I know that you helped him last night, but I have a feeling that he forgot a few things."

He nodded, "Sure." He walked into Zachary's room which looked as if a tornado had gone through there. There were clothes on the floor, toys everywhere, and Zachary just standing there in the middle of the mess. Troy looked over at the suitcase, "Zach, why did you empty your suitcase?"

Zachary looked at his dad, "I can't find my Spiderman blanket," he said in tears. "Where did it go, daddy?"

Troy sighed, "Don't worry, we'll find it. When did you last see it?"

Zachary thought for a minute, "Wednesday," he said.

Troy suppressed a laugh, "Um Zach, I am pretty sure that mommy washed it. Don't you remember her saying that she was going to do that?"

"Oh," Zachary said, looking at the floor. "But where is it?"

"Probably in the laundry room," Troy said as he picked the little boy up and headed downstairs with him. "Aha," he said once they reached the laundry room. "Is this what you're looking for," he asked.

"My blanket!" Zachary exclaimed. "Can we pack my suit now, daddy?"

Troy chuckled, knowing that he meant 'suitcase.' "Yes, we can go repack it now." He walked upstairs with him and repacked his suitcase.

15 minutes later, they were finally ready to go. Troy placed all of the suitcases into the trunk as Sharpay placed all of the kids into the car. They drove to the airport; made sure they had everything…and everyone, and checked their luggage. They then headed to the gate.

The airplane ride went rather smoothly, except for the fact that Kayleigh still seemed to have a problem with getting airsick. When they landed, all the kids could do was look around in awe. Even the airport (to them) was incredible.

"If they like this, I'll bet they can't wait to get to the hotel," Troy said quietly to Sharpay.

She nodded, "I know you're right." She smiled as she saw the monorail approaching. "Well here's our ride to the hotel," she said, looking at the kids, whose jaws all seemed to drop to the ground.

"We are going on…that?" Larissa gasped.

"Indeed we are," Troy said as the monorail came to a stop (they had already gotten their luggage) and the doors opened, allowing people to enter. "Let's go," he said as they all got into the train-like vehicle that showed them all of Disney World as they were taken to their hotel.

"Daddy, that's Cinderella's castle," Kayleigh exclaimed.

He nodded, "You're right, it is." He looked at what the next stop was, "Okay, here's our hotel," he said, grabbing his luggage. "Can you guys carry your bags," he asked as he took the handle out of each one.

The kids nodded as they each took their own suitcase. "Daddy, what hotel is this," Zachary asked as he stepped off the monorail.

"Welcome to the Grand Floridian," the concierge said as they got off.

The kids' jaws dropped once again as they walked inside the extravagant hotel. **(Side note: when my family went to Disney World, this is where I stayed! It was incredible!)**

* * *

After getting settled in their room, the family decided to head on out to the park. As they did, Sharpay could feel Ana's hand grip hers rather tightly. "Remember what I said, sweetie," she asked as she knelt down to her level.

Ana nodded, "But it's still big," she said, becoming scared again.

Troy walked over to her, "Remember, mommy and I aren't going to leave you, okay?"

"Okay," she said, relaxing a bit.

Sharpay made sure all of the kids were there before proceeding, "All here," she said to Troy.

"Great, let's go," he said with a smile.

They went to many of the rides, excluding the main roller coaster, Expedition Everest since the kids all seemed to back away from that one. **(And yes, I remembered seeing this on the Disney Channel, LOL)**

As the day went on, Troy could see that the kids were beginning to get worn out. "Do you guys want to head back for a while and take a little nap? We can come back later…"

"No, daddy! I want to keep going," Kayleigh said, dragging her dad in the direction of Epcot Center. "I want to go there!"

"Me too," Zachary said, jumping up and down.

Troy looked at Sharpay, "Does that sound okay to you?"

She nodded, "Yeah, sounds good." She looked at Larissa and Ana, "How does that sound to you guys?"

"Good," the two said in unison.

They made their way to the monorail where they went to Epcot. After getting off, Sharpay and Troy did another head count, to make sure their whole family was there. As Sharpay counted, her face turned rather pale, "Troy."

"Oh no," he said quietly.

"Where is…………….?"

* * *

**I'm so evil, LOL. So who went missing? And just so you know, if you haven't been to Disney World, they are very good at finding lost children. I remember hearing about a ton of kids who would get lost, but their parents would always find them. :) Please review and remember I love hearing your suggestions and ideas! Thanks for reading!**


	22. Chapter 22 REVISED

**_It has been pointed out to me that the musical _Peter Pan_ would be way too expensive to do, since there are flying machines involved and many community theatres don't put it on because of that; professional theatres mainly do that. So I've changed the musical. Hope you like it. Sorry about this!_**

**Thank you for the reviews and suggestions. This chapter is going to be a bit shorter, since I'm not feeling very well at the moment.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 22**_

_They made their way to the monorail where they went to Epcot. After getting off, _

_Sharpay and Troy did another head count, to make sure their whole family was there. As Sharpay counted, her face turned rather pale, "Troy."_

"_Oh no," he said quietly._

Sharpay looked at Troy, "Where did Zachary go," she asked, beginning to panic.

"He was here just now…I saw him get off with us," Troy said as he looked around him.

Sharpay looked at Larissa, "Did you see your brother wander off anywhere?"

She shook her head, "I didn't see him, mommy. I saw Ana and Kayleigh, but not Zach."

Troy sighed as he tried to remain as calm as possible. He looked to make sure that the other three children were still there. "Sharpay."

"What," she asked, looking all around her for Zachary.

"Where did Ana go?"

She stopped dead in her tracks, "What?"

"Ana; where did she go? She was here a few seconds ago, wasn't she?"

"Mommy," a voice called from the bench.

Sharpay rushed over to Ana, "Oh thank goodness," she said, hugging Ana as tightly as possible. "Honey, have you seen your brother?"

"No…mommy you said no one would get lost."

She nodded, "I know I said that honey…but you know how your brother loves to wander off," she said as she picked Ana up and carried her over to where Troy, Larissa, and Kayleigh were standing. "I'm going to find security guard or something…maybe they can help locate him," she said as she held back tears. Her little boy had vanished without a trace.

Troy nodded, "We're coming with you; the last thing we need is for you to get lost too," he said as he took Kayleigh and Larissa's hands.

Sharpay nodded in agreement, "Okay," she said, taking Ana's hand. "I think I saw someone over there," she said, gesturing to a small building.

They walked to the small building where they found a security guard writing something down. She looked up, "May I help you?"

"Our little boy seems to have wandered off," Sharpay said quickly. "He's five, his name is Zachary, and he has light brown hair…kind of like my husband's," she said, indicating Troy.

"When did you last see him, ma'am," she asked as she wrote down the information that Sharpay had given her.

"We were getting off the monorail and when we got off, he was still with us, but then he somehow just…disappeared," Troy supplied.

The woman wrote all of this down, "I'll get in touch with all of the other guards here and will have them look for him. What kind of clothes is he wearing," she asked.

Sharpay thought for a moment, "He had a blue short sleeve shirt with Mickey's face on it and denim shorts and gym shoes," she said. "Please find him," she said as tears began to make their way down her face.

Troy walked over to her, "They will," he said quietly.

"Don't worry ma'am, we will find him," the guard said. "I suggest that you go back to wherever you last saw him and stay there; there's a chance that he might wander back to you."

"Okay," Sharpay said softly as she wiped her eyes.

"Mommy is Zachary going to be okay," Kayleigh asked.

"Yes honey, he'll be fine," Sharpay said, trying to not only reassure her children, but herself as well.

* * *

Zachary stared at the large dome that stood in front of him. What he didn't notice was that he had been walking towards it while his family was still behind him. As he slowly backed up to see the dome better, he bumped into someone. As he turned around, he smiled, "Mickey!" He jumped up and down, excited to see his favorite Disney character standing right in front of him. Zachary turned around, excited to tell his parents who he had just met, but when he did, they were nowhere to be found. "Mommy! Daddy!" He cried, becoming quite scared. He turned to Mickey again, "I losted my mommy and daddy," he cried. 

Mickey jus placed an arm on the little boy's shoulder and led him to a small building on the other side of the park.

* * *

Sharpay paced back and forth, "He's not here," she said as she started to let the tears fall freely down her face. "Where is my baby," she asked as she wiped her eyes. 

Kayleigh stood up and walked over to her mom, "Mommy, he's over there."

Sharpay looked in the direction of where Kayleigh was pointing. "Honey, I don't see anything," she said as she picked Kayleigh up.

"On the other side," Kayleigh said as she closed her eyes, "Yep, on the other side."

Troy just looked at her, "Honey, how do you know that?"

She shrugged, "I just do."

Troy looked at Sharpay, "Well the guard told us to stay here, just in case he wanders back this way."

She shook her head, "I think we should listen to our daughter, Troy. Don't you remember when they were little? Every time Zach cried, Kayleigh cried; when Zach started to walk, Kayleigh started to walk; when Zach got sick, Kayleigh got sick. It's some sort of twin thing," she said as she thought about her own 'twin thing' she had with Ryan. "Ryan and I did the same thing when we were little; how else do you think I knew that something was up when we found out that Gabi was pregnant again?"

Troy nodded, "You have a point…so should we go looking for him?"

Larissa walked over to her mom, "Mommy, Kayleigh's probably right. Just do it!" Larissa said, since she not only wanted to find her brother, but wanted to enjoy the rest of the day as well.

Sharpay sighed, "I guess we can try," she said as she set Kayleigh down. "Ana, let's go sweetie."

Ana stood up and walked to her parents, "Mommy, there's too many people," she said as another panic attack began to hit.

Troy picked her up, "You'll be okay, sweetie," he said as he rubbed her back. He looked at Sharpay, "Let's go; maybe Kayleigh's right."

"I _am _right," she demanded.

"All right, let's go," Sharpay said as she took Larissa's and Kayleigh's hands and Troy carried Ana, who was starting to calm down.

* * *

Zachary laughed as he watched Mickey and Goofy clowning around. He had forgotten that he was lost; all he could think about was what was in front of him. "You guys are funny," he said, still laughing. 

A security guard walked up behind him and recognized the clothes he was wearing, along with the description of what he looked like. "I found him," she said as she approached him. "Is your name Zachary Bolton," she asked gently.

Zachary looked at her, "I can't talk to strangers," he said, remembering what his parents had taught him.

The woman nodded, "Your parents are very wise, but I am a security guard; I help people find their way back to their moms and dads."

"Like a policeman," he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, just like a policeman. Are you ready to go to your parents?"

Before he could respond, he heard a familiar voice. "Zachary!" Kayleigh let go of her mom's hand.

"Kayleigh, stop!" Sharpay yelled as they approached the small building.

Kayleigh kept going towards the building. She stopped for a moment, smiled to herself, and kept going, her family running after her.

Zachary stood up, "I hear my sister," he said with a smile. He turned to get up, but the guard stopped him.

"I was given specific instructions to have you stay right here until…"

"Zachary!" Kayleigh yelled as she ran to her brother. "I knew it!" She wrapped her arms around him.

Zachary smiled as he saw his sister run to him. He hugged her as tightly as his little five year old arms would let him. "Where are mommy and daddy," he asked.

"There!"

Sharpay ran over to Zachary, "Oh thank goodness," she said as she scooped the little boy up, "Honey, are you okay," she asked, holding on to him for dear life.

"Mommy!" He hugged her. He then saw Troy, Larissa, and Ana coming up behind Sharpay. "Daddy!" Zachary smiled as Troy walked over to him. "Daddy you got lost!"

Troy just smiled, glad that his little boy was all right. "Um Sharpay?" He tapped her shoulder, "Sharpay, I don't think he can breathe if you're holding onto him that tightly."

Sharpay just smiled as she loosened her grip, "I'm sorry sweetie; we were just so worried about you," she said as more tears rolled down her face.

"Mommy how come you're sad," he asked as he wiped Sharpay's face.

"I'm just happy that you're okay," she said. "Honey, why did you wander off like that?"

He pointed to the dome, "I liked that big ball!" He then looked at his parents again and looked at the ground, "I'm sorry, mommy," he said solemnly. "I didn't mean to make you sad."

She shook her head, "Honey all that matters right now is that you're safe," she said, thanking the guard for watching him. They walked to a bench and sat down. "Honey, I know that you're excited to be here, but you can't wander off like that; it scares me and daddy."

He nodded, "Okay."

Kayleigh smiled, "I knew where you were," she said proudly.

Troy nodded, "She's right; she led us right to you," he said as he placed Kayleigh on his lap.

Larissa sighed, "Mommy can we go do something now," she asked after a few minutes. "I'm bored."

Sharpay smiled, "We can…as long as none of you wanders off," she said, looking mainly at Zachary, "Got it?"

All four children nodded.

"Then let's go to Zachary's favorite attraction," Troy said as he got up. He looked at Ana, "How are you doing, sweetie? Do you feel better?"

She nodded, "Yes…but what if I get lost?"

"You won't," he assured her. "Mommy and I are going to keep an extra eye on all of you."

"And if you do, Mickey and Goofy are funny," Zachary said with a smile. "Mommy, I met Mickey!"

She smiled, "So I heard; but you are never to wander off again," she said to him for the 10th time that day…at least.

"I won't," he said as he hugged her. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, we can go," Sharpay said as she stood up, still holding Zachary. She looked at him, "If I put you down, do you promise to stay close?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Okay," she said as she placed him on the ground. She took his hand, "Do not let go unless I say it's all right," she said firmly.

"Mommy," Larissa groaned, "Let's go."

"We're going, we're going," she said as they walked towards the Epcot Dome.

* * *

"Well that was a…interesting day," Troy said as he placed a sleeping Zachary on the bed. 

Sharpay nodded, "I think that interesting is too light a word; try crazy," she said as she did the same with Kayleigh, who had also fallen asleep. She changed her into her pajamas and placed her under the covers.

Larissa and Ana had already changed and were now in bed, waiting for their parents to say goodnight to them and tuck them in. "Mommy what are we doing tomorrow," Larissa asked with a yawn.

"I was thinking about Tomorrow Land," she said as she kissed Larissa and Ana goodnight. "But let's talk about that in the morning. Right now you two need to get some sleep."

Ana shook her head, "I'm not tired," she said as she yawned.

"Of course you're not," Sharpay said with a smile as she tucked her in. "Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight," they said in unison.

* * *

The rest of the week seemed to fly by; before they knew it, it was Saturday again and time to go home. Luckily, all four children – especially Zachary, had listened to their parents and didn't go wandering off again. Ana had come close when she had to go to the bathroom, but stopped when she remembered the rule. 

"I don't want to go on the plane," Kayleigh said as the man on the PA announced their group number. "I'll get sick again."

"Then don't sit by me," Larissa said.

Sharpay looked at Larissa, "What did I tell you?"

"Sorry," she said, looking at the floor. "Can I still tryout for the play when we get back," she asked as they made their way onto the plane and into the row.

Troy smiled, "Yes honey, you can." He looked at Sharpay, "Do you even know what play they're putting on?"

She thought for a moment, "I think they're doing _Beauty and the Beast _or something like that."

Larissa smiled, "I like that one," she said as she started to hum one of the songs from the show.

Sharpay just smiled, glad that her daughter was going to go back into theatre. She couldn't help but to think about how much she wanted to as well…

* * *

**Well, that leaves you thinking, now doesn't it? Oh, and I think I threw most of you through a loop when I said who got lost…so many of you in your reviews said either Ana or Larissa…no one seemed to expect Zachary to get lost! So thank you Lipshake for that idea! BTW, loved chapter 18! Seriously, read her story, it's really good! Anyway, please review and remember suggestions and ideas are welcome! Thanks for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Bad news everyone: I am starting to get a case of writer's block! And trust me when I tell you that is no fun at all! So this chapter will be considerably shorter than what I normally write. Please, if you have any ideas, please, please, PLEASE PM me or just send one in your review of the chapter. Thanks much!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 23**_

**The Following Saturday…**

Larissa took a deep breath as she saw the community theatre out the car window. Sharpay said she would take her to audition for the musical they were putting on, _Beauty and the Beast._ It had been quite a while since she had done anything with theatre and she was getting more nervous by the second as the theatre grew closer and closer until…

"Here we are," Sharpay said, parking the car. She glanced back at Larissa, "Honey, you have nothing to be nervous about; just remember what song you are going to sing, all right?"

She shook her head, "But mommy the thing said that the lead roles will only go to grown-ups. I probably won't get any role!"

"That's not true," Sharpay said as she got out of the car. She walked around to the other side, "Larissa come on," she said, trying to get the little girl out of the car.

"No, I changed my mind," she said, suddenly becoming tense. "What if I'm terrible?"

Sharpay sighed, "Honey, you never know until you try; and I already know that you're not going to be terrible."

"Will you try with me," she asked hopefully.

"Say that again," she asked, rather confused.

"Well, if the leads are only for grown ups, maybe you can be one of the leads," Larissa said as she slowly got out of the car.

She sighed, "If I do, will it make you at least get out of the car at a faster pace than a turtle?"

She nodded, "Yes," she said, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Okay, I'll try," she said, regretting the words that just came out of her mouth. What was she thinking? She hadn't been in a play since the twins were two years old; and she only had one line! There was no way that this was going to work. "Come on," she said as she held her daughter's hand, not only for Larissa's sake, but for hers as well.

"Mommy, what will we sing," Larissa asked as they walked into the building.

Sharpay thought for a moment, "I don't know to be quite honest," she said as they walked over to the desk to sign in. "Hello, my daughter would like to audition for the play," she said to the woman.

"My mommy wants to tryout too," Larissa said, now excited.

"Larissa!" Sharpay hissed.

The woman smiled, "How nice; a mother-daughter audition. We actually encourage those," she said to Sharpay.

She gave the woman a look, "Okay…" She finished signing both Larissa and herself in.

"Here you go; just give this to the person in charge of the auditions and she'll call your name when it's time for you to go up on stage," she said with a smile.

The two walked into the theatre. Sharpay looked for the woman who was in charge of the auditions, "Excuse me, I was told to give this to you," she said, handing the woman her and Larissa's names.

"Thank you," she said. "Please just have a seat for now."

Sharpay nodded and walked over to where Larissa was now sitting.

"Mommy, what are you going to sing," Larissa asked after a few minutes of silence between the two.

"Well, I…" Before she could continue, she heard…

"Sharpay Bolton."

Sharpay cleared her throat, "I guess I'll see when I get up there," she said, making her way to the stage. She looked back at Larissa, who had a hopeful smile on her face. She couldn't let her daughter down; not now. If this was the only way to get Larissa back into acting, then so be it. She took a deep breath and looked at the pianist, "I'll be singing 'Go the Distance,'" she whispered.

The pianist nodded and started to play. Sharpay took one more deep breath and then began to sing.

_I have often dreamed_

_Of a far-off place_

_Where a great warm welcome_

_Will be waiting for me_

_Where the crowds will cheer_

_When they see my face_

_And a voice keeps saying_

_This is where I'm meant to be_

_I will find my way_

_I can go the distance_

_I'll be there someday_

_If I can be strong_

_I know ev'ry mild_

_Will be worth my while_

_I would go most anywhere_

_to feel like I belong_

_I am on my way_

_I can go the distance_

_I don't care how far_

_Somehow I'll be strong_

_I know ev'ry mile_

_Will be worth my while_

_I would go most anywhere_

_to find where I belong_

When she finished, Sharpay smiled, forgetting that she could even sing. She looked over at Larissa, who had a huge grin on her face. She walked back over to her; before she could say anything, Larissa flung her arms around her mom.

"Mommy, you did real good," she said with a smile.

Sharpay just smiled and looked at her daughter, "Think you can do it now?"

She nodded, "Yes, I think I can," she said, her voice filled with more confidence than before.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

Theresa walked into her mom's room where she found Gabi sitting in bed, reading a book. "Mom, my teeth hurt again," she said. She had just gotten her braces tightened for the first time the previous day and had never felt such horrendous pain before.

Gabi looked up at her, "Okay…go ask your dad to get some Tylenol for you or something," she said.

"But he's not home; he said something about taking Michael and Angie to a birthday party," she whined.

Gabi sighed, "All right, I'll get it," she said. She started to get up. "Whoa," she said, sitting back down.

"What's wrong," Theresa asked, becoming concerned about her mom.

"I think I…just felt the baby kick," she said with a smile.

Theresa rolled her eyes, "Haven't you felt that before though?"

She shook her head, "Not with this baby," she said as she got up and went to the medicine cabinet. "Here we go," she said, retrieving the medicine for Theresa.

"Thank you," Theresa said softly.

Gabi smiled and walked back to the bed and sat back down. "Whoa, there it is again," she said, placing a hand on her stomach.

"Can I feel," Theresa asked after she took the medicine.

She nodded, "Yeah; here give me your hand," she said, happy that her daughter seemed to be taking an interest in her new sibling. "Did you feel it," she asked after a moment.

Even though she did, she wasn't about to like her new sibling. She hated the fact that her mom was pregnant again. "N-No, I didn't feel anything," she said walking to the door, "Why should I care anyway? I bet it's not even daddy's!" She walked to her room and slammed the door.

Gabi just sat there, shocked. What had just happened; could this be why her daughter was always acting so resentful towards her? Gabi, now quite angry, found the strength to get out of bed and walked to her daughter's room. "Theresa Mae Evans, I don't ever want to hear you say that again! Do you understand?"

Theresa just looked at her mom, "It happened last time…you left us and you'll probably just do it again," she said, unable to hold her tears back.

Gabi sighed and walked to the bed and sat down, "Sweetie, I know that last time…well that was a horrible mistake on my part, but honey, I promise you that your daddy is this baby's father; just like he's your dad, and Michael's, and Angie's," she said as she rubbed Theresa's back.

Theresa just lay there for a moment. She sat up and looked at her mom, "I don't believe you! I hate you!"

At the same time, Ryan had just returned with Michael and Angie from the birthday party. He heard yelling coming from upstairs, "Why don't you two play down here," he said, walking them to the family room.

"Okay daddy," Michael said as he led Angie into the room.

Ryan then walked upstairs and into Theresa's room, "Theresa, I really hope I didn't just hear what I think I heard," he said rather sternly.

Theresa just looked at her dad, not saying anything.

Gabi looked at him, "She still thinks that I'm having an affair," she said softly. "Excuse me," she said as she walked out of the room, not wanting her daughter or husband to see that she was crying.

Ryan turned to Theresa, "Do not leave this room until your mom or I say you can."

"But dad…"

"I am tired of this, Theresa. You have been doing this ever since we told you that your mom is having a baby." He took a deep breath as he calmed down, "Look, I know that you are upset about her having another child, but this is no way to treat her; she is very fragile right now."

Theresa just sat there, "Sorry," she muttered.

"I think that the person you should be apologizing to is in the other room," he said.

She nodded and walked into her parent's room and saw her mom wiping her eyes. "Mom," she said quietly.

Gabi looked up, "Yes," she asked hoarsely.

She walked over to her bed, "I'm sorry mom," she said softly.

"Come here," Gabi said, extending her arms.

Theresa sat down and allowed her mom to wrap her arms around her.

"I know this is hard for you…considering what happened last time…but this is different, sweetie; I love your dad and I love you," she said as she hugged her.

* * *

**Bolton Home…**

"I'm done, daddy," Ana said, handing her math homework to Troy.

He looked over at her, "Already? But you just started it 20 minutes ago," he said, stunned.

She shrugged, "It was easy."

He looked at the homework and saw that Ana had done every single problem correctly. "Wow," he said to himself.

* * *

**Theatre…**

"Larissa Bolton," the woman said, "Please come on to the stage."

Larissa looked at her mom, "I can't do it," she said, becoming nervous.

"Hey, I said I would do it and I did; now you have to live up to your part of the bargain," she said, giving Larissa a little nudge to get up.

She took a deep breath, "Okay," she said as she slowly walked up to the stage. "Um…I'm singing 'I Have Confidence,'" she said softly.

The pianist nodded and played the introduction. Larissa froze, causing the pianist to stop as well. Larissa looked at her mom, who mouthed, 'just do it.' Larissa nodded and looked at the pianist, "Sorry…can you start again?"

She nodded and started playing once again. Larissa took a deep breath and began to sing.

_I've always longed for adventure  
To do the things I've never dared  
And here I'm facing adventure  
Then why am I so scared _

A captain with seven children  
What's so fearsome about that?

As she sang, she could hear her own confidence coming back.

_Oh, I must stop these doubts, all these worries  
If I don't I just know I'll turn back  
I must dream of the things I am seeking  
I am seeking the courage I lack _

The courage to serve them with reliance  
Face my mistakes without defiance  
Show them I'm worthy  
And while I show them  
I'll show me

Her own confidence had now been restored as she continued.

So, let them bring on all their problems  
I'll do better than my best  
I have confidence they'll put me to the test  
But I'll make them see I have confidence in me

Somehow I will impress them  
I will be firm but kind  
And all those children (Heaven bless them!)  
They will look up to me

And mind me with each step I am more certain  
Everything will turn out fine  
I have confidence the world can all be mine  
They'll have to agree I have confidence in me

When she finished, she ran off the stage and into her mom's arms, "I did it!"

Sharpay smiled, "I heard you, that was wonderful, sweetie," she said as she hugged her.

"Very good," the woman said, "We will contact about callbacks," she said.

"Thank you," Sharpay said as she got up, "Want to go tell daddy?"

She nodded, "Yes," she said with a big smile.

* * *

**Okay so not my best, mainly because: A.) I'm still not feeling very well and B.) I had a little bit of writer's block, but I think I may have moved past it. Thank you to xxAnnaxx for a great idea for one of the characters! **

**So what do think is going to happen with Larissa…or Sharpay for that matter? I am very sorry, but I forgot who gave me the idea to have them both audition for something…thank you for that suggestion! What do you think about Theresa right now; and what is going on with Ana? Thanks to xxAnnaxx for an idea I'm just starting with that! Please review and suggestions and ideas are most definitely welcome! Thanks for reading.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Thanks to you, my writer's block is starting to go away. I have received several good ideas from many of you, so I hope you like what I chose to do here.**

**P.S. I'm sorry if this chapter is weak; I still have a slight case of writer's block. :(**

**Disclaimer: Same as always and I don't own any musicals that I may mention or use songs from. **

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 24**_

It had been a week since Larissa and Sharpay tried out for _Beauty and the Beast_ and they had both gotten callbacks, but still hadn't heard anything from the director; but neither one was worried. Sharpay was silently hoping for Larissa to win either the lead role or a supporting role; she had decided that it would be all right if she didn't land a part in the play. She wanted to support her daughter more than anything.

"All right, I'll see you guys tomorrow after school," Sharpay said as she dismissed the kids from rehearsal.

Katie stayed behind and waited until everyone was gone to approach Sharpay, "Um, Aunt Sharpay," she said, walking over to her. (she only called her that when she was either not in school or when there weren't any other students around.)

She turned around, "Yes Katie, what is it?"

"This may sound really stupid, but…I'm not sure if I can do the play," she said, looking at the floor.

Sharpay walked over to her, "Why's that? Are you not doing well in one of your classes or something?" She motioned for her to sit next to her.

She shook her head, "No, I'm just really…never mind, it's stupid." She started to get up.

"Uh-uh, stop right there," Sharpay said firmly, "The only thing that would be stupid is if you walked out of here without telling me what's bothering you; besides, I'm your ride home today, remember?" Jason had to be in a meeting all day and Kelsi was sick with the flu so they had asked if Sharpay could drive Katie to and from school that day.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"All right; just let me get my things and we'll talk in a minute, okay?"

"Okay," she said as she got her backpack.

Sharpay gathered the papers she had to grade, the music sheets, and her bag. "Okay, let's go," she said as they walked out of the room. "So what's up?"

Katie sighed, "It's just…I'm really nervous about the play. I've never been in one before and I'm afraid that I'm going to mess up," she said as they walked outside.

Sharpay nodded, "Katie, it is perfectly normal to be nervous…"

"See, I knew it would sound stupid," she said as she got into the car.

"You didn't let me finish," Sharpay said as she set her things down, got into the car, and turned to Katie. "What I was going to say was that it's perfectly normal to be nervous _but _what is important is the fact that you're happy. As long as you're happy with what you're doing, you really don't have to worry about messing up; no one's perfect and it happens all the time," she said, reassuring Katie. "Do you think that your mom would still be composing and writing if she simply gave up because she was nervous?"

Katie shook her head, "No, I guess not."

"Exactly; even though your mom gets nervous as to whether her scripts will be accepted to the University or not, she still keeps trying."

"I guess you're right," she said softly.

"I know I'm right," she said as she started the car. "Now we have to go get my kids before they start to get nervous that I'm not coming," she said with a smile.

Larissa paced back and forth, her siblings watching her. She had wanted to hear the phone ring ever since she and her mom had come home from the callback. "Where is she," she said to herself.

"You are making me dizzy," Ana said as she glanced up at her sister and then back down at her math homework. She had decided to get a jump start on it; they had been sitting outside for all of 15 minutes and Ana was already halfway through her homework.

"Well sor-ry," Larissa said as she started tapping her foot on the ground.

Kayleigh rolled her eyes, "Larissa!"

Zachary sighed as he watched his sisters argue and was very happy when he saw his mom's car. "There's mom," he said. He looked over at his sisters, "Mom's here!"

The three girls looked up and saw Sharpay get out of the car and simply shake her head, "You three never know when to stop," she said with a small smile. "Come on, let's go take Katie home and then go home."

* * *

"Did they call," Larissa asked after Sharpay finished listening to the messages on the machine.

"For the fifth time, no, they haven't called yet, Larissa; relax," Sharpay said, starting to get annoyed.

Ana walked into the kitchen, "I finished my math homework, mom."

Sharpay looked at the clock, "Already? But we only got home 10 minutes ago."

"I did some of it at school," she said as if it weren't a big deal.

"Actually this is kind of a big deal honey," she said as she walked over to Ana. "One of the messages on the machine was from your teacher."

Ana's face turned to that of panic, "Am I in trouble?"

She shook her head, "No, it's the exact opposite." She saw Ana's confused face, "Basically, your teacher said that she wanted to have a conference with your daddy and me about your math work."

Ana, still confused, just shrugged, "Um, okay," she said as she took her homework and started to walk out of the kitchen when she saw the door to the garage open, "Daddy!"

"Hey kiddo," Troy said as he picked her up. "Did you have a good day?"

She nodded, "Yes, but my teacher needs to have a con with you," she said, trying to remember what her mom said.

Troy just looked at Sharpay, "She needs to do what?"

"Conference," Sharpay said, "She left a message saying that she would like to talk to us about Ana's work in math."

"Ah okay, that makes more sense," he said as he set Ana down. "Where are our other two children," he asked as he kissed Larissa's head.

Sharpay pointed to the direction of the family room, "They're watching TV."

He nodded, "Okay…so did you-know-who call yet," he asked quietly.

She shook her head, "Not yet, but I'm sure they will soon," she said as the phone rang. "Like right now." She walked over to the phone, "Hello…yes, this is she…uh huh…okay," she said, a smile forming on her face, "Okay, when are they…yes, I'll make sure to do that…thank you." She hung up and looked at Troy and then at Larissa, "Guess who that was," she said, smiling.

"They play people?" Larissa smiled, "Do we get to go back, mommy?"

She nodded, "Yep, we get to go back."

Larissa smiled, "I do? So we get to go back and find out what parts we got," she asked.

"Yep," Sharpay said.

"I do? What part," she asked, very excited now. She decided that she didn't mind if she didn't get the lead role.

"You are playing Chip," she said, a very big smile on her face.

Larissa jumped around in a circle; it had been a rather long time since she had done anything with theatre. "I'm playing Chip!" She yelled, not caring who heard. She looked at Sharpay, "Mrs. Potts," she asked with a smile still on her face.

Sharpay shook her head, "No sweetie; I um…I got the part of Belle," she said, not sure how her daughter was going to take it.

Her face fell, "You got the lead? But…I thought you would be Mrs. Potts. Why did you get that part?"

She shrugged, "Sometimes that happens. But hey, we're both in the play!"

"No," Larissa said quietly; all the joy from hearing that she won a part gone. "I'm not going to be in it," she said as she ran up to her room and closed the door.

"What was that," Troy asked, rather confused. "I thought that she'd be ecstatic to find out that she is in it. Congratulations, by the way," he said as he kissed her.

"Thank you," she said. She looked at the stairs and sighed, "I don't know why she isn't happy," she said as she walked upstairs.

* * *

"There we go," Gabi said as she placed the lasagna into the oven. "Whoa," she said as she placed a hand on her stomach and sat down.

"Mommy what's wrong," Michael asked as he walked over to her.

She looked up at him, "Oh I'm fine; but I think I just felt the baby kick," she said with a smile.

He walked closer to her, "Can I feel?"

She nodded, "Here, give me your hand." He did so and she placed it on her stomach and looked at him, "Do you feel it?"

He nodded, "Yeah! I felt it mommy!" He smiled as he felt the baby kick again.

Angie walked into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. "Mommy do you feel okay," she asked when she saw Gabi sitting down with her hand on her stomach.

"Yes, sweetie; I feel fine…your baby brother or sister is kicking."

Angie ran over to her mom, "How? It's in there," she said, pointing to her mom's stomach.

"Well, it is still very small," Gabi said. "Would you like to feel it?"

She nodded and placed her hand where her brother's hand was and smiled, "I feeled it!"

Gabi smiled glad that at least two of her children were excited about a new brother or sister.

Ryan then walked into the house and saw the scene before him, "What do we have here?"

"Daddy!" Angie ran to her dad, "The baby kicked in mommy's tummy!" She dragged him over to Gabi and placed his hand on her stomach, causing both Ryan and Gabi to chuckle at the sight. "What's funny?"

"Nothing, sweetie," Ryan said. He then smiled when he too felt the baby kick. "I can't believe we can feel it already," he said as he kissed Gabi's head.

Theresa walked downstairs and rolled her eyes, but then remembered the talk that she had with her parents. She walked over to them, "Mom will you please sign my science test?"

"Sure," she said, taking the paper and pen that Theresa had with her. She looked at the test, "A 94? Theresa, this is great," she said as she stood up to hug her daughter.

Theresa slowly hugged her mom back, "Thanks," she said slowly.

Ryan then took the test, since he had to sign it as well, "Honey I am so proud of you," he said as he hugged her as well.

She smiled, "I studied really hard for this one," she said proudly.

"And it shows," Gabi said, glad to see an actual smile form on her daughter's face. "Um, dinner's going to be ready in about 20 minutes," she said, remembering that she had dinner in the oven. She walked over to the oven when a rumble of thunder was heard. "Finally, some rain," she said to herself.

"I'm going to put this back upstairs," Theresa said as she started to walk to the stairs. What she didn't see, however, was the little toy that was in front of her. As she stepped on it, she fell, almost in slow motion. "OW!" She screamed.

Ryan hurried over to her, "Are you okay, sweetie?" He helped her up.

* * *

Sharpay walked into Larissa's room, "Honey, why don't you want to do the play? I thought you were excited about it."

She turned away from her mom, "It's not fair," she said.

Sharpay just sat there for a moment, "What isn't fair? I thought that you wanted this."

She shook her head, "No."

"Then why don't you want to do it, sweetie?"

She looked up at her mom, "I wanted you to be Mrs. Potts, not Belle," she said as more tears formed in her eyes.

Sharpay sighed, "That's what this is about? Honey, that just…happened."

"But now I won't see you as much on the stage," she said. She wasn't about to tell her mom that she was jealous, even though it was nearly impossible that someone Larissa's age would have gotten the lead role.

"Larissa, look at me." Larissa looked over at her mom. "I want to know the truth; now."

"Go away," Larissa said.

Sharpay stood up, "This discussion is not over," she said as she went back downstairs to prepare for dinner.

* * *

The next day, however, Larissa completely ignored her mom; she did as she was told and that was it. She was silent during the entire car ride to school and left without saying goodbye to her mom.

Troy kept reminding Sharpay that Larissa would get over it and that she would come to realize that the fact that she got a part at all was a good thing.

In the meantime, Sharpay had called the middle school and told them that she was going to be late, since she and Troy had to meet with Ana's teacher that morning.

"What do you think she's going to say," Sharpay inquired as they waited for the teacher to come into the office, since there was still school.

"Good morning," Ms. Berger, Ana's teacher said as she walked into the office. "I'm sorry I'm so late; I had to tell the sub what we we're working on."

"That's all right," Sharpay said nervously. "So um, what did you need to tell us?"

"Well, as you have probably noticed, Ana is rather gifted in math; she has gotten A's on her last three quizzes and has been getting perfect scores on her homework."

Troy nodded, "Yes, we know that part," he said.

"So what did you want to do about this," Sharpay asked a small smile on her face.

* * *

**Yes, it's an odd thing to be upset over, but Larissa does have a rather strong attitude, LOL. So what do you think will happen? Will Larissa realize that it was actually a good thing that she got in the play? And what is going to happen with Ana and her gifted math skills? BTW, children with autism are frequently gifted in one or more areas of education; it can range from art to science to…math! Anyway, please review and give suggestions and/or ideas if you have them. Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you once again for all the reviews! I have taken into consideration several ideas and I really hope you like them.**

**A/N: Thank you to Lipshake and theferretmenace for giving me the ideas I'm going to apply for this chapter! I think a few more of you may have also said similar things as well. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 25**_

It had been a week since Troy and Sharpay had gone to see Ana's teacher. She recommended that Ana go into the 3rd grade for math only; the class just happened to be taught by Gabi, since she had the 'advanced 3rd graders.' Since Ana's math skills were through the roof, her teacher wanted to give her the best education possible without disrupting her routine.

Sharpay had thought and thought about the play; she really did want to be in it; after all, it had been a good five years since she had been in one at all, but she also wanted Larissa to get back into acting. She finally decided on something that she knew would make Larissa see the light of day.

"Mommy who are you calling," Ana asked as she walked into the house after school.

Sharpay looked over at Ana, "How was your first day in the new class," Sharpay asked, hanging up when no one answered.

She shrugged, "It's…weird…but for some reason, I can understand it better," she said as she walked over to Sharpay. "Aunt Gabi gave me a test already," she said in a whiny voice. Then again, who would want a test the first day in a new class?

"I'm sure it was just to…" Sharpay looked at the test, "Honey, you got all of the questions right…and these are questions that even I'm not sure I could answer," Sharpay said in shock.

"That's what I said," Troy said as he walked into the house with the rest of the kids. Sharpay had been sick that day, so rehearsal (at the middle school) had been called off and Troy refused to allow his wife to leave the house.

Ana crossed her arms, "People think I'm weird," she said as a few tears slid down her face.

Troy picked her up, "No they don't; they just don't understand why you are leaving your room during math class, that's all."

Zachary shook his head, "Nuh-uh. I hearded someone say that she is a weirdo," he said. "I told her that she was mean," he said, proud that he had suck up for his big sister.

"Then they're just jealous," Sharpay said, eyeing Larissa, who had yet to say a word about her day; she had yet to have an actual conversation with her mom ever since she found out that her mom was going to be playing Belle. "And when people are jealous," Sharpay continued, "Sometimes they act in ways that aren't exactly…nice," she said, hoping Larissa was listening to this.

She turned her head, but didn't say anything. She simply took an apple out of the refrigerator and sat down at the table.

Troy sighed, "She was silent the entire ride home," he said aside to Sharpay. "What do you plan on doing? I mean, it's been a week."

"Calm down, I…thought of something that would solve this problem," she said, a sad look on her face. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone again and dialed another number. "Hello, is this Ella Stevens, the director for the Albuquerque Community Theatre's production of _Beauty and the Beast_…great; I'm sorry to have to call you at home, but I need to speak to you now…this is Sharpay Bolton…yes, my daughter Larissa…yes, that's right…anyway, I um…I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to drop out of the play," she said.

Larissa, who was about to take a bite of her apple dropped it on the floor when she heard this. She walked over to her mom, "What are you doing," she asked.

Sharpay gave her a sign that meant, 'hold on' and continued her conversation. "Yes, I know this is sudden, but I just feel…okay…yes, and I thank you for the opportunity…I will definitely call if something changes." She blushed as the woman complimented her on her singing ability, "Thank you that is very sweet…uh huh…okay, thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at Larissa, "Now what did you ask," she said as she put the phone book away.

"Mommy, what did you just do," Larissa asked, following her mom into the family room where Sharpay was picking up a few toys.

She sighed and looked over at Larissa, "I just thought that if I were to drop out, that you would…I don't know…not have to be jealous of whoever is playing Belle," she said, acting as though it was no big deal. She walked back into the kitchen where Troy just stood there with his mouth open in shock. She walked over to him and closed his mouth, "That isn't polite," she said softly.

Larissa followed her mom back into the kitchen, "But…mommy…you can't quit," Larissa said.

"It's for the best," Sharpay said. "Now I do believe you have some homework so I suggest you get started on it."

Larissa nodded and picked up her backpack and walked upstairs, looking at her mom the entire time.

Kayleigh looked over at her mom, "Mommy, you're Belle! You can't leave!" She placed her hands on her hips, "You said to never give up," she said in a scolding tone.

Sharpay simply kissed Kayleigh's head, "I know I did, sweetie; I'm glad you remembered that." She gave her a small smile.

Troy, still not exactly knowing what to think of what his wife had just done, walked into the den to do some work on his laptop. Before he went in there, however, he was stopped by Sharpay.

"It'll work out, you'll see," she whispered, winking at him.

He nodded, now knowing what she was doing. "Good thinking," he said as he kissed her and walked into the den.

* * *

"I'm home," Theresa said in a rather upbeat tone as she, Angie, and Ryan walked into the house.

Gabi looked at her, "Wow, someone is in a good mood," she said with a smile, happy to see a real smile on her daughter's face. "Did you get another good grade on your English test or something," she asked.

Theresa nodded, "Look," she said, handing her mom the test.

Ryan walked over to her, "Pretty amazing, huh," he said, looking at the test with Gabi.

She nodded, "Yeah…good job, sweetie." She gave her back the test, "Anything else happen today?"

"No, not really," Theresa said in an unusually happy tone.

"Okay, what's going on," Ryan asked. "You refused to say anything in the car; what's going on?"

Before she could say anything, Gabi placed her hands on her face, "Oh my gosh, you have a crush!"

Theresa looked at her mom, "What? But…how…where…"

"Oh honey, I remember having that face when I had my first crush," she said as she remembered her 5th grade beau.

Ryan looked over at Theresa in complete shock, "You have a crush?" He looked as if he was going to pass out.

She shook her head, "No…"

He placed a hand on his heart, "Thank goodness," he muttered.

"We're sort of…like really good friends," she said as she sat down.

"Oy," Ryan said, running a hand through his hair. He was not ready for this! His 'baby' was only 11 years old! "Um honey, are you sure about this," he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah; we eat lunch together everyday, we have three classes together…but I still focus," she added, "And we just…hang out," she said with a smile.

"What's his name," Gabi asked.

"Jordan," Theresa said in a 'dreamy' tone. ((Do you know the kind of tone I mean? Like when you really like a guy? Well that is the tone she just used, LOL)) "Jordan Keyes," she said with a smile.

"Oh honey I'm so happy for you," Gabi said, getting up to hug her daughter.

She smiled, "Thanks, mom…and guess what?" She looked at both parents, "He also has braces!" She squealed. "So we get to complain together!"

Ryan, still reeling from hearing his daughter mention that she liked a boy walked over to her, "Theresa, I…just…um…just promise me this: please don't rush into anything."

She rolled her eyes, "Daddy! We're just really good friends, sheesh!"

"Ryan, can't you be happy for your daughter," Gabi said.

He shook his head, "I…I don't know what to feel; she is only 11 years old!"

"And _she's_ standing right here," Theresa said, her smile gone. "Can't you ever be happy for me," she said as she ran up to her room and slammed the door.

Gabi shook her head, "Honestly, Ryan," she said as she walked past him, "You could at least be happy that she's happy," she said as she went after her daughter.

He sat down at the table, "She's too young," he said to himself.

Michael sat across from him, "Don't worry daddy, I think so too," he said, mimicking his father's pose.

"Theresa," Gabi said as she knocked on the door, "Honey, open up."

Theresa walked to the door and opened it, tears in her eyes, "Why is he like that," she said, sitting back down on the bed.

Gabi sighed, "Well, I have a feeling," she said, sitting down beside her. "Honey, you are his oldest daughter; this is just…weird for him to see his…and I know you hate the term, but it's hard for him to see his 'baby' growing up."

"Why is it so hard," she asked, resting her head on Gabi's shoulder.

Gabi sighed, "Well, maybe it's hard for him to except this just like it's hard for you to except the fact that you're going to have a new brother or sister," she said carefully.

Theresa sat up, "I…I never said that I…"

"Honey, it's kind of obvious; the attitude, the constant rolling of the eyes whenever I can feel the baby kick; think about it," she said, looking pointedly at her.

She thought for a moment, "I…guess…"

"You are so much like your father," she said as she hugged her.

* * *

"How's the homework coming," Troy asked as he walked into Ana and Kayleigh's room.

Ana looked up, "It's good; I guess…I'm almost done."

"You are?" He looked over her shoulder, "Wow I never learned how to do this stuff correctly until I was at least 12," he said. "Maybe you should be our accountant."

She laughed, "Daddy."

"I'm kidding, sweetie." He kissed her head. "Keep up the good work."

Sharpay walked past Larissa's room and could hear soft whimpering. She opened the door, "Larissa? What's wrong honey?"

She looked up, "Mommy you can't quit," Larissa said through her tears. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to be…"

"Jealous," Sharpay finished for her as she walked into the room and sat down beside her.

She nodded, "Yeah." She wiped her eyes, "Are you mad?"

She sighed, "Well I'm not going to deny the fact that I was a little hurt, but now that I know the real reason, I guess I understand where you're coming from. You inherited my overreacting genes."

Larissa smiled softly, "But I'm adopted mommy."

She shrugged, "So? That doesn't mean that the last six years haven't rubbed off on you," she said with a smile.

Larissa didn't say anything for a few minutes. She picked up the advertisement for the play. "Mommy," she finally said.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could…call that woman back?" She looked at her mom with hopeful eyes.

She smiled, "I think I can do that," she said as she kissed Larissa's head. "But no more of this getting jealous…and you do know that we'll have a lot of onstage time together, right?"

She nodded, "Okay…I just…like to get the main part," she confessed.

Sharpay laughed, "Yep, you have definitely inherited my love for acting…along with that oh-so-lovely attitude that comes with it."

Larissa smiled, "I did?"

"Oh yeah," she said as she hugged her.

"So you can call that woman back?"

She nodded, "Yep; I'll do that tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," she said softly.

* * *

Theresa walked downstairs after her mom said dinner was ready. She sat down in her usual spot, which happened to adjacent to her dad. "Michael, switch places with me," she said.

He looked at her, "No, I like sitting by mommy."

"Just do it," Theresa said quietly yet angrily.

"Okay," he said, getting up to trade places.

Ryan walked into the kitchen, "Theresa, can I…did you switch places with your brother?"

"Yes," she said flatly.

He sighed, "May I talk to you in the other room please?"

"Fine," she said as she got up and followed him into the living room. She sat on the opposite end of the couch.

Ryan sighed and got up to sit closer to her, stopping her from getting up to move again. "Sweetie, I just want to talk to you."

* * *

**Okay, not one of my best chapters and I know, I totally left out Katie, Jason, and Kelsi, but don't worry, I didn't forget about them! So do you think Larissa is going to be completely fine with her mom playing the lead? And what about Theresa and Ryan? What does he want to talk to her about? Please review and as usual, suggestions/ideas are welcome. Thanks for reading!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you very much for the comments everyone! I truly appreciate them as always. Anyway, here is chapter 26. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 26**_

_Ryan sighed and got up to sit closer to her, stopping her from getting up to move again. "Sweetie, I just want to talk to you."_

She looked over at him, "About what," she asked flatly.

"First of all, lose the attitude," he said firmly. "Second, I just want to apologize for before…honey, it's just a little hard for a dad to see his little girl growing up; especially when it's his oldest," he said, placing an arm around her.

Theresa just looked at him for a moment, "So you don't mind that I like him or that we only hang out at school?"

He shook his head, "No, I don't mind; but I do want you to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"I want you to be careful," he said as he took his hand and placed it on hers. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"How would I get hurt dad? All we do is hang out and talk," she said, not understanding what he meant.

He sighed, "I just don't want anything to happen to you," he said simply.

"What do you mean? How would I get hurt," she asked, looking at him.

"Sometimes boys aren't exactly the smartest people in the world. I don't want him to do or say anything that would upset you," he explained.

She nodded, now understanding him, "You mean something like 'you're the dumbest girl I ever met'?"

He nodded, "Yeah; that and well…you're 11 years old and I think you're ready to hear this," he said as he took a deep breath. He had always dreading the day he would have to give his daughter 'the talk.' **(Which I don't feel like including because I'm too tired LOL. But hopefully you all understand what 'talk' I'm referring to.)**

* * *

Ana walked downstairs after she finished her homework. "I'm a freak," she said as she sat down.

Sharpay, who was just entering the kitchen with Larissa, heard this, "What are you talking about, Ana?"

"Why can I do math better than everybody in my class," she asked, looking from her mom to her dad.

Troy shrugged, "Some kids are just really good at certain subjects in school; you know your Aunt Gabi was always into Science when we were in high school. She didn't like it at first either, but look where it got her. She is a great teacher," he said.

"But she's normal," Ana said, looking down at her dinner. "I'm weird," she said quietly.

"You're not weird sweetie," Sharpay said.

Ana looked at her mom, "Yes I am! I can't even do a good job with trying out for a sport," she exclaimed. "Now people make fun of me for going to a different math class," she said, looking back down at her uneaten food.

"I think they're just jealous," Troy said. "You have been getting straight A's on all of your math quizzes, tests, and homework and your classmates…haven't; I think that they wish they could be as good at math as you."

She looked up at him, "Really?"

He nodded, "Really. Now stop thinking that you're weird or different because everyone is unique in their own way," he said with a smile.

A small smile appeared on her face, "I guess," she said, thinking about what he had just said.

"I'm glad we cleared that up," Troy said as he kissed Ana's head.

Kayleigh smiled as well, but frowned when Larissa sat down, "You're mean."

Larissa just looked at her sister, "What are you talking about?"

"You made mommy quit the play," she said with a frown. "Now you're mean."

Larissa looked down at her feet, "I know…but she isn't going to quit," she said, looking back up at her sister.

Kayleigh smiled and looked at Sharpay, "Really?"

"Mmm-hmm," Sharpay said. "I'm going to give the director a call after dinner…or tomorrow; I haven't really decided."

"Tonight," Kayleigh and Larissa said together.

Troy smiled, "Looks like it's unanimous," he said.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

"I'll get it," Theresa called, running to the phone. "Hello?"

"Theresa? It's Jordan," Jordan said.

She smiled, "Hi," she said shyly.

"Um I was wondering if maybe you wanted to…I don't know…do something tomorrow, since it's Saturday?"

She smiled, "Okay."

"Cool…do you maybe want to go out to lunch?"

Her smile grew larger, "Sure; that sounds like fun."

He nodded, "Great," he said, relief eminent in his voice.

**15 Minutes Later...**

"No; no way," Ryan said as he looked at Theresa.

"But dad it's just lunch and whoever is driving us would probably stay at a table close by," she said, trying to reason with him.

Gabi nodded, "She has a point. It's not like they're going to…do anything."

Ryan looked at her, "That is exactly what I am worried about, which is why the answer is still no," he said, looking back at Theresa.

She looked to Gabi, "Mom this isn't fair! All we want to do is go out to lunch!"

She nodded, "I know honey." She looked at her husband, "May I speak to you in our room please?" Once they were both in their room, she closed the door, "What is the matter here?"

"What do you think, Gabi," Ryan asked. "I'm not about to let our 11…yes, 11 year old daughter go out on a date," he said, his over protectiveness taking over. "She is way too young!"

Gabi rolled her eyes, "Oh please Ryan; it's barely even a date! It's lunch for heaven's sake!"

"Lunch that could easily be turned into more, if you get my drift," he said.

"Ugh, you are impossible, Ryan," Gabi said. "If you want to deprive our daughter the happiness she deserves, then be my guest. But when she says that she hates you, don't think I won't say 'I told you so,'" she said, too tired to argue any further.

Before he could say anything more, there was a knock at the door. "Mom," Theresa called from the other side.

She sighed, "Come in."

Theresa opened the door, "Well? Can we have lunch? It can be at Uncle Troy's restaurant, dad…that way both he _and _Uncle Jason can see that nothing happens."

Ryan sighed, "I'm sorry Theresa, but…"

"I knew it!" She yelled. "You hate to see me happy," she cried as she ran to her room, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. She took a breath before the person on the other end answered. "Jordan? Hi, it's Theresa…I have bad news…I can't go out to lunch with you tomorrow."

Gabi looked at Ryan, "Nice job," she said sarcastically. "I hope you're happy."

He sat down on the bed, "I just…don't want to see her get hurt," he said quietly.

"You know what," she said, getting up and sitting next to him, "Maybe she has to experience that earlier rather than later…I mean, look at what happened to your dad," she said. "Weren't he and your mom high school sweethearts?"

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well he never really had a real experience of being hurt…nor did he break anyone's heart, but it's the same thing for Theresa; maybe she needs to know what that feels like now rather than 30 years from now," she said.

Theresa sighed, "I can't go because my _stupid father_ said no," she said, her voice rising as she said 'stupid father.'

Ryan looked up, hearing those hurtful words and looked at Gabi, "Maybe…maybe you're right," he said, getting up and walking to Theresa's room. He knocked on the door, "Theresa."

She rolled her eyes, "Hang on Jordan, it's the stupid father." She looked at him, "Yes?"

* * *

**Cross Home…**

**(Thought I was leaving them out, didn't you?)**

"But I'm too old for a baby sitter," Katie protested.

Jason turned to look at his daughter, "No, you're really not; I don't know of any other 11 year olds that baby-sit for their siblings or stay home alone for that matter," he said.

She rolled her eyes, "But Emily is only 15! She's only four years older than me!"

Kelsi walked into the house with Emily, whom she had just picked up. "Look who's here," she said.

Emily smiled at Katie, "Hi Katie! How are you?"

Katie just rolled her eyes, "Mo-om!"

"Don't 'mo-om' me Katherine. You are too young to be baby-sitting your 3 year old sister," Kelsi said. She turned back to Emily, "Now here is the number of the restaurant we'll be at, here is our friend's phone numbers, and here is our neighbor's number," she said as she pointed to the piece of paper.

Emily nodded, "Sounds good."

Madison walked into the kitchen, "Mommy where…Emily!" She said, nearly jumping into her favorite babysitter's arms.

"Hello to you too," she said, picking Madison up.

Katie simply groaned, "This stinks," she muttered.

Jason pulled her aside, "If you listen, you can stay up until 9:30," he said.

She smiled, "Okay."

He nodded, "I had a feeling you'd like that." He told Emily (and Kelsi) about Katie's arrangement. He then looked at Kelsi, "Ready?"

She nodded. It had been a rather long time since the two had gotten a night alone together. "Let's go." She kissed Katie and Madison goodbye, as did Jason. "Be good," she called as Jason nearly dragged her out to the garage.

"I'm really glad we did this," he said once they were in the car and on their way to the restaurant.

She nodded, "Me too; when's the last time we went out…jus the two of us?"

"Uh…"

"Exactly," she said, "It's been too long…3 months, by the way."

He glanced over at her, "3 months? Wow, we are…"

"Pathetic," she finished.

He chuckled, "I wouldn't say that…okay I would."

"Is this it," Kelsi asked in awe.

"Yep; look familiar to you?"

She nodded, "It's the same restaurant that you proposed to me," she said with a smile. "I can't believe we're going here," she said, still in awe.

He helped her out of the car, "Well believe it," he said as he kissed her, "Because tonight is going to be all about us."

She smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too," he said as they walked into the restaurant.

They were seated in a booth near the back of the restaurant; which happened to be very private.

"Jason, this place looks exactly the same," she said, still smiling.

He nodded, "Yeah, it does."

* * *

As they finished dinner, Jason simply smiled at Kelsi.

She saw this, "What? Do I have food on my mouth," she asked, taking her napkin and wiping off her mouth.

He shook his head, "No; I just want to see your face after…"

A group of waiters walked over to their table. Kelsi looked at Jason, "What's going on," she whispered.

Before he said anything, her question was answered.

_Happy Birthday to you,_

_Happy Birthday to you,_

_Happy Birthday, happy birthday,_

_Happy Birthday to you._

Their waiter smiled at Kelsi, "Your husband mentioned to us that today was your birthday," he said as he handed Kelsi a small plate with a piece of cake with a candle in it.

She just looked at Jason, stunned, "I…I forgot that it was my birthday," she said, blushing.

He nodded, "Yeah, I kind of got that impression when you never opened the card that Katie and Maddy made for you."

"I didn't see any cards," she said.

"That's because I picked it up after you overlooked it; it was on the kitchen table this morning."

She thought for a moment, "Is that why Katie was sad today? Did she think I hated her card?"

He nodded, "Yes but I explained to her what happened, to which she replied, 'how does someone forget their birthday?'" He smiled and shrugged. "I just told her that it happens." He paused, "Oh, and before I forget, here is your present…from me." He handed her a small rectangular box.

"Oh Jason you shouldn't have," she said, opening it. She gasped, "Jason!"

He smiled, "You like it?"

She just stared at the pearl necklace that lay before her, "I…I love it," she said quietly. She looked up at him, "Thank you," she said as she leaned over to kiss him.

"Happy birthday," he said once they parted.

* * *

**Ha-ha, so I'm ending the chapter on a 'happy' note. Did anyone here notice who was barely in this chapter? Yep, Troy and Sharpay; I have major writer's block with them, LOL! Please help! Suggestions and/or ideas are more than welcome with them. **

**So, what is Ryan going to say to Theresa? Hmm…the cliffhanger section of the chapter. ;-) Please review and thanks for reading!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi all thank you very much for the ideas. I have come up with a few, and I hope you like them. **

**A/N: I'd like to apologize inadvance for the length of this chapter. I just had several ideas come at me all at once! LOL. So please bear with me. ;-)**

**Disclaimer: Same as it's always been.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 27**_

_Theresa sighed, "I can't go because my _stupid father_ said no," she said, her voice rising as she said 'stupid father.'_

_Ryan looked up, hearing those hurtful words and looked at Gabi, "Maybe…maybe you're right," he said, getting up and walking to Theresa's room. He knocked on the door, "Theresa."_

_She rolled her eyes, "Hang on Jordan, it's the stupid father." She looked at him, "Yes?"_

Ryan sighed and walked into the room, "Listen; I'm sorry about before…and I am giving you permission to…" He took a deep breath, "Go out for lunch with Jordan tomorrow," he said quickly, just wanting to get the words out.

She smiled, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yes," he said with a small smile.

She smiled and turned her attention back to the phone, "Jordan, my dad just said that we can go to lunch tomorrow…okay, see you then…bye." She hung up the phone, stood up, and walked over to her dad and hugged him, "Thank you!"

He smiled, "You're welcome."

"He said that his parents would drop him off at 11:30, so could you or mom do the same?"

"Yeah, I think we can manage that," he said as he kissed her head, "And I am sorry about before; just call it the over protectiveness I seem to have with you guys."

She nodded, "Me too…you're not stupid, dad."

He smiled, "Thank you." He kissed her head and walked out of the room, hurrying to his and Gabi's room, "I gave in," he told her.

"I'm glad your common sense is kicking in," she said as she got up to start dinner. **(This is taking place simultaneously with Jason and Kelsi, just so you know and don't get confused!)**

As soon as Gabi went downstairs, Ryan picked up the phone and called Troy, ordering him to keep an eye on his daughter, to which Troy agreed to immediately. Ryan smiled, glad to have an ally.

* * *

Sharpay walked into the room, "What did Ryan want," she asked.

Troy just looked at her, "How did you know it was him?"

"Well let's see…I heard you say 'okay I'll make sure to do that, Ryan,'" she said, looking at him pointedly. "So what are you going to do?"

"Just keep an extra eye out for Theresa; she's got a lunch date with her friend…who happens to be a boy," he said.

She nodded, "Ah yes, the over protective dad routine," she said, remembering how her father was when she was in junior high and high school. **(I alluded to this a little bit in "Changes")**

"Yes, I remember. How could I forget your father grilling me before I even so much as said hello to you when I picked you up for our first date?" He smiled, "Speaking of dates…I hope you're not doing anything tomorrow evening," he said with a smile.

"Hmm, let me think…I think I'm free; why, did you want to…ask me out," she asked as she kissed him.

"Yes," he said after they broke apart. "Don't make any plans for tomorrow evening, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

**Saturday…**

Ryan had agreed to drive Theresa to meet Jordan for lunch. He made sure to walk inside and find Troy and Jason to keep an extra eye out for the two. He watched as his daughter greeted Jordan, simply saying 'hi' and 'I'm glad we could do this.' After seeing that this Jordan seemed like a decent kid, Ryan slowly left the restaurant, with Jason telling him over and over that he and Troy would watch out for her. All throughout lunch, Theresa could sense her uncle and Jason watching her, but she didn't care…as long as they didn't interfere that is.

"So how did lunch go," Gabi asked when she came to pick Theresa up.

"Really good," she said as she got into the car. "I thought that dad would be picking me up…since he's so over protective," she said, rolling her eyes.

She laughed, "He would have, but he got a call from work and was still on the phone when it came time to pick you up, so I just told him I'd get you."

"Well he will be happy to know that Jordan is really nice and he'll like it even more that Uncle Troy kept looking at us…doesn't he have to work or something?"

"Honey, that was just your uncle making sure everything was okay," Gabi assured her.

"Okay," she said with a sigh as she saw Jordan get into his mom's car. "He's really nice, mom," she said with a big grin.

* * *

**That Evening…**

Troy walked into the room, "Are you ready," he asked as he saw Sharpay put the last bit of blush on.

She turned around, "I am now," she said.

He smiled when he saw her, "You look gorgeous," he said as he walked over to her and kissed her.

"Why thank you; you don't look too bad yourself," she said as she kissed him back. "Shall we?"

"We shall," he said as they walked downstairs and into the family room where all four kids plus Troy's parents were. "Okay, we're going," Troy said.

Kayleigh ran over to them and hugged them, "Will you give me extra hugs when you get home?"

Sharpay smiled, "Of course we will, honey. Don't we always?"

She nodded, "Yes, I had to make sure though," she said, her tone completely serious.

After hugging the rest of the kids and saying goodbye, the two finally managed to get to the restaurant.

"We needed this," Sharpay said after they were seated. "I've missed you…a lot," she said with a small smile.

He nodded in agreement, "I'm glad we did this; we needed to just…I don't know, get away from everything and everyone."

She sighed, "Have I mentioned how much I love you lately?"

"I never get tired of hearing it," he said as he took her hand.

"I love you," she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

He returned the kiss, deepening it. "I love you too," he said softly as they parted.

After dinner, since it wasn't too cold outside and it was actually not raining, the two decided to drive to the park and walk around for a while. "Great idea," Sharpay said, looking up at the stars.

He smiled and led her to a nearby bench and sat down, "I'm glad you approve." He placed his arm around her and kissed her.

She returned the kiss and then rested her head on his shoulder, "Does tonight have to end," she asked, looking up at the sky.

"Not if you don't want it to," he said softly, kissing her head.

"I don't want it to," she said with a sigh.

After another 20 minutes of just sitting on the bench and making out like a couple of teenagers ((hehe)), the two decided to head home.

"Thanks for watching them," Troy said to his parents as he saw them to the door.

"It was no problem honey," Cindy said as she hugged him.

"As much as I love your parents, I thought they'd never leave," Sharpay said as she and Troy walked up to their room, only turning on a dim lamp.

"Don't worry; I felt the same way," he said as he led her to the bed and sat down. "I love you," he said as he kissed her again.

"I love you too," she said as they turned their kiss into that of a rather passionate one.

The next half hour was silent, with the occasional movement of one of the two.

Sharpay turned to Troy, "That…was…incredible," she said, smiling and kissing him once more. ((Please tell me that you know what they were doing…if not, oy! ;))

All Troy did was smile at her and kiss her back, "It really was," he said after a moment.

* * *

**One Month Later…**

It was finally time for the spring play at the middle school. Sharpay had to be at the school a couple of hours beforehand, mainly because she was the director and had to make sure that no one got sick at the last minute or was unable to do their part.

Katie took at least fifteen deep breaths in the car as her parents drove her to the school. She was more nervous than she was when she had to get her measles shot…and she was rather nervous during that.

Kelsi glanced back at her daughter, "Honey, you're going to do great; you just need to relax," she said with a smile.

Katie looked at her mom as if she was from another planet, "Relax? Mom, how can you expect me to relax when the biggest night of my entire night is at stake," she said in one breath.

Maddy just looked at her, "You will be good," she said with a smile, even though she didn't really know what her sister was doing.

She smiled, "Thanks, Maddy."

Jason pulled up to the front of the school to drop Katie off, "Good luck sweetie. We'll see you after the show; and you're going to do a great job," he said as he kissed her head.

"Thanks daddy," she said as she got out of the car. She hurried into the school and to the auditorium, where she quickly went backstage.

As she waited for her first major on-stage appearance, she started to panic. She ran over to Sharpay, "I can't do it," she said.

Sharpay simply smiled and placed an arm around her, "Yes you can; just do it the same way you've been doing it for the past…" She counted back to when they first began rehearsing, "Well, to when we first started. Trust me Katie, everything will be fine."

And fine she did; she did more than fine in fact; not only did Katie nail all of her notes in the songs, she nailed all of the dance steps for 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' as did the boy who played Rolf.

Once the play was over, she could feel a blend of relief and general happiness go through her body. "I did it," she said to herself as she changed her clothes to greet her parents.

Kelsi spotted her and ran, yes ran over to her, "Honey that was wonderful," she said, embracing her daughter. "I am so proud of you," she said, still hugging her.

"Thanks mom…um mom?"

"Yes sweetie," she said, still hugging her.

"I can't breathe," she said as her voice became substantially softer.

"Oh, sorry," Kelsi said as she quickly let go of her daughter. "I'm just so…happy for you!"

Jason walked over to her, "I double what your mom just said," he said as he hugged her as well…but not as tight.

"Thank you dad," she said, hugging him back. She then looked at her sister who was just smiling. "What did you think, Maddy?"

"You have a pretty voice," the 3 year old said as she hugged her sister.

Katie smiled, "Thanks." She bent down to hug her back.

Even though there were five more performances to go (the show went on for 3 weekends, one show on Friday and one on Saturday), Katie felt as though she had found her calling.

* * *

**Four Months Later…**

((Yes I know, I'm kind of speeding up time here, but I have a good reason!))

"Are you sure you feel up to this," Ryan asked as he helped Gabi, now 9 months pregnant and due any day now out of the car.

She sighed, "For the 10th time, yes Ryan I feel just fine."

"Okay but if at any time during the show you feel…"

"Ryan! I'll be fine, okay," she said, attempting to reassure him.

He nodded, "All right." They, along with Theresa, Michael, and Angie walked into the theatre and found Troy waiting for them. "So," Ryan said as he greeted his brother-in-law, "How are Sharpay and Larissa doing?"

Troy nodded, "Pretty good; Larissa is more excited than anything, but at the same time she's more nervous than anything and Sharpay…well let's just say that I haven't seen her this happy since…well since the twins were born," he said as he hugged Kayleigh and Zachary.

Gabi smiled, "I can believe that," she said, rubbing her stomach.

Troy looked over at her, "Are you sure you're up to…"

"Don't. Start." She said, getting rather annoyed with the two men standing next to her. "I feel just fine, thank you," she said, feeling a slight pain, but not letting it show. _Not now, _she thought to herself as she sat down.

"Mommy is playing Belle," Kayleigh said to her aunt and uncle matter-of-factly. "She is the star!" She nearly yelled as the lights started to dim. Troy quickly shushed her.

As the show went on, the smile that was on Troy's face never left; nor did it leave Kayleigh, Zachary, or Ana's faces for that matter. Larissa said all of her lines with perfect clarity and smiled the entire time, happy that she decided to stay in the show and even more happy that her mom decided to stay.

During the battle scene in the second act ((you know, when Gaston and the Beast face off?)), Gabi started a battle of her own. Throughout the entire play, she had felt more and more of those 'small pains.' Only now they weren't so small. Just as the actor playing Gaston hit the Beast so hard that he hit the ground, she grabbed Ryan's arm, "Ryan!" She whispered rather loudly.

He turned to her, "Don't worry honey, they're just acting, remember," he said, barely seeing the look on her face.

"Not that you idiot! I think I'm…oh boy…Ryan."

He looked over at her, "What's wrong?"

"Labor…baby…ready…now!" She managed to get out as she had her first major contraction.

His eyes widened. He looked over at Troy, whispered what was going on to him and told him to tell Jason. There was no way he was going to take the kids to the hospital with them. "So can you two possibly get them to the hospital after the show," he whispered.

Troy nodded, "You got it…and Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck…for you I mean; try not to let her squeeze your hand off," he said with a wink.

Ryan gave him a look, "Thanks I'll remember that," he said sarcastically as he helped Gabi up and out of the row. "Wait here," he said once they got to the lobby. "I'm getting the car."

She nodded, "Just…hurry!"

He ran out the door and hurried to the car and brought it around to the front of the theatre. He hopped out, ran over to Gabi, and helped her into the car and drove to the hospital. As he was driving, he looked over at her, "How many minutes apart are they," he asked as she dialed the number of her OB/GYN.

"About 5 minutes," she said.

By the time they reached the hospital, Gabi could barely walk. "My wife is in labor," Ryan said to the woman in the ER. "We've already called our doctor who said she'd meet us upstairs," he explained.

The woman nodded, "I'll get someone to bring your wife up," she said as she signaled for an orderly to get a wheelchair and told him to take Gabi up to the Maternity Ward.

As they got out of the elevator, they saw their doctor waiting for them, "Gabi, how do you feel…other than the obvious," she asked as she helped get Gabi on to a bed.

"Scared," she said even though she had been through this three times before.

"You're going to be just fine," Ryan assured her as the doctor checked to see how far along Gabi was.

Gabi nodded, clutching Ryan's hand.

"All right Gabi, you're nine centimeters, so we're just going to move you now," her doctor said.

"Okay," she said, feeling another contraction. She squeezed Ryan's hand even harder than before. "Get this baby out of me!"

"Honey, they're going to do just that," Ryan said, trying not to show how much pain _he _was in.

The doctor checked Gabi again, "Okay, you're at 10 centimeters. It's showtime," she said. "Ryan, help her to sit up and then count to 10. Gabi, as Ryan is counting, you are going to be pushing. Got it?" They nodded, "Good. Here we go."

* * *

As the cast (now changed into regular clothing) came out to greet family and friends, Larissa hurried over to her dad, "I did it daddy," she said, jumping into his arms.

"I know you did; and you were wonderful," he said with a big smile. He then saw Sharpay walk out. "And you…you were just…" Words couldn't express the joy he felt for his wife.

She smiled and hugged and then kissed him, "Thank you," she said receiving hugs from her other three children as well. She looked around, "Ryan. Where's Ryan, Troy? And Gabi? And why are the kids…" She placed a hand on her mouth as Troy just nodded.

"Yep, she went into labor towards the end of the show. Ryan asked both me and Jason to get the kids to the hospital," he said, gesturing to the three rather nervous children.

"Well what are we waiting for," she said, forgetting about herself. "Let's go!"

* * *

**Hehe, now do you see why I skipped ahead? So what did you think? Oh, and NAMES! I need names! Since I'm just plain cruel, I'm not telling you the sex of the baby just yet, so please send in a boy's name and a girl's name, if you can think of one…with a middle name, please:D Trust me, the next chapter you will find out! Please review and remember suggestions/ideas are welcome! Thanks for reading!**


	28. The End

**Wow, you guys totally and completely rock! Thank you so much for all the help with the names. Let me tell you something: because you all sent in such wonderful names, it literally took me ALL DAY to put two of them together! But I finally did. :)Thanks everyone. There's an A/N at the end of the chapter, so please read that. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

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_**Just Like Us, Ch. 28**_

"_Yep, she went into labor towards the end of the show. Ryan asked both me and Jason to get the kids to the hospital," he said, gesturing to the three rather nervous children._

"_Well what are we waiting for," she said, forgetting about herself. "Let's go!"_

Since Sharpay and Larissa had to be at the theatre earlier for the show, Sharpay had driven her own car, thus making it easier for them to transport Angela, who still required a car seat, to the hospital.

"I'll take Angie," Sharpay volunteered. "Troy can take…" She looked around, "Michael, and Jason and Kelsi can take Theresa," she said, hoping they all agreed.

"Sounds good to me," Troy said as they all headed out to the cars.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the rather large group headed up to the Maternity Ward, where they knew Ryan and Gabi would be. Jason walked over to the reception desk, "Excuse me, but our friends, Ryan and Gabriella Evans are here; what room are they in?"

The woman checked the list, "Evans? They are in room 417," she said, pointing down the hall.

"Thank you," Jason said as he made his way back to the group, "Room 417."

Sharpay nodded, "Okay, why don't we head on over there," she said.

Troy looked at Michael, who wasn't budging, "What's wrong, buddy?"

"Is mommy okay," he asked, tears in his eyes.

"Yes, mommy is just fine; she had to come here to have your brother or sister," Troy said as he picked the little boy up and followed everyone to the room.

"Promise," he asked, wiping his eyes.

"Yes, I promise." Troy smiled and kissed Michael's head, "Well here is your mommy's room."

Sharpay poked her head in, "Knock, knock," she said softly. As she looked at the two, she smiled, "Well hello there," she said, motioning for the rest to stay back for a moment.

Gabi looked up from the little baby she was holding in her arms; a big smile on her face, "Hi Sharpay," she said.

Ryan looked up as well, "We'd um, like you to meet…"

"Wait, hold that thought," she said. She walked out into the hall, "Okay, you can come now," she said to her family and friends.

"Mommy!" Michael exclaimed when he saw that his mom was indeed just fine. He wiggled out of Troy's grasp and hurried over to her. "Mommy do you feel better?"

She smiled, "Oh I feel wonderful," she said as she looked at the little baby in her arms. She looked up at everyone else, "Wow, I uh…well…um…" She looked at Ryan, since she couldn't seem to find the right words.

He looked at her and then up at the group, "What she means to say is thank you. Thank you for taking such good care of our kids while we were here," he said as he picked Angie, who was just looking around the room, rather confused as to what she was doing there. "And Sharpay and Larissa, I'm very sorry we had to leave like that…"

"Don't start," Sharpay said, "No apologies are necessary here," she said as she hugged her brother.

"For what it's worth, you and Larissa did a wonderful job," Gabi said, still smiling. "I couldn't take my eyes off of you the whole time," she said, now looking at Larissa.

She blushed, "Thank you," she said softly.

"So," Kelsi said after a moment of awkward silence, "Who is this little person," she asked as she looked at the baby in Gabi's arms.

Gabi smiled, "This," she said, holding the baby up for everyone to see, "Is…" She paused, "Where's Theresa?"

Sharpay turned around, "She was just here; hang on…don't tell us the name just yet," she said as she walked out of the room. She walked into the waiting area, "Theresa what are you doing out here," she asked as she sat down next to her niece.

"It's all going to change now," she said as a few tears fell down her face. "Mom is going to ignore me again."

Sharpay placed her arms around Theresa, "No honey, she's not; sure, she'll be preoccupied with the baby, but how could she ignore her 11…almost 12 year old daughter," she asked. "Honey you are so special to them; you don't know the half of it."

She looked at her aunt, "I-I am?"

She nodded, "Of course you are. Now come meet your…sibling," she said, realizing that she didn't know whether the baby was a boy or a girl. "They are waiting to tell all of us the name and that isn't going to happen until you get in there."

She smiled, "Okay," she said softly as she got up and took Sharpay's hand and walked into the room. "Hi mom," she said with a small smile.

Gabi's smile grew wider, "Hi sweetie; we were beginning to worry about you."

Theresa's smile faded, "Sorry."

Ryan shook his head, "Don't worry about it; you're here now," he said as he walked over to her and brought her over to him and Gabi. Angie was already by her mom's side, as was Michael.

Troy cleared his mouth, "Um you were about to say…"

"Oh right," Gabi said, "Anyway, now that you're _all _here, Ryan and I would like you to meet…Liam Andrew Evans."

Michael smiled the biggest smile ever, "A brother? I have a brother?"

She nodded, "Yes sweetie, you do," she said, sensing her son's excitement.

"Yes!" He jumped up and down, "Another boy!"

Ryan laughed, "That's kind of what I said," he said as he picked Michael up.

"Congratulations," Sharpay said. "How much does he weigh and is he named after who I think he is named after?"

Ryan nodded, "He is 7 pounds, 7 ounces and yes, he's named after our grandfather," he said, feeling his voice crack just a little. **(I was 7 lbs, 7oz when I was born…that's where that came from)**

Kelsi smiled, "That is a beautiful name, Ryan." She looked at the baby, "Welcome to the world, Liam," she said with a smile.

Angie looked at her brother, "Mommy am I a big sister now," she asked.

Gabi laughed, "Yes honey, you are now officially a big sister."

She smiled, "Cool!"

Everyone just smiled. For once in their lives, they all seemed to have gotten what they wanted: happiness.

* * *

**Epilogue**

Ryan and Gabi smiled at their children; not only was their youngest daughter happy to be a big sister, but their son was happy to have a brother. Theresa seemed to be warming up to the idea of having a new sibling in her life…just so long as her parents didn't start ignoring her.

Jason and Kelsi were happy for their family as well; Katie had finally found something that she really seemed to like and Maddy…well she was still little and had a lot of exploring to do. Her parents, however, knew that she would someday, when she was older, find something that she loved.

Sharpay and Troy were happy for their own family as well; Larissa was back into theatre, where she seemed to have found her true calling, Ana had found that not only was she really good at math, but she liked it as well, Zachary had resolved to keep playing his favorite sport ever: basketball, and Kayleigh…well Kayleigh was indeed still her mom's little drama queen.

One thing that all three families had in common was that they were happy; happy to have their children and each other. Even though no one knew what lay down the road ahead of them, they were living in the present and planned to continue living that way.

**THE END**

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**Yes, this is the end. Why, you may ask? Well there is one main reason: I have basically run out of ideas. I hope you liked reading this story as much as I loved writing it. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! You are truly the best! **

**I'm not sure if I am going to write another story in this series…I really don't see where else I can take this series. **

**I don't have any ideas whatsoever for another story right now; I just found out that my boyfriend is moving 2 ½ hours away from here so I'm kind of depressed about that. Anyway, thanks again for reading this series! **


	29. PLEASE READ!

**Before you start thinking that I'm starting this story up again, I'm not... BUT! I have received...I don't know, 6 maybe 7 reviews saying that I must continue on with this series!**

**So...because I truly love writing, I am SERIOUSLY thinking about doing another sequel. I only have 2 problems:**

**1.) I have no title**

**2.) I have no clue whatsoever as to how far in the future to do it (a year, 5 years, etc...), and I have no plot bunnies in my head right now. **

**So here is what I'm asking: if you all want me to do another sequel in this series, please PM me or leave a review...unless you did already...then you have to PM me, LOL, with an idea of what you would like. Then I'll think about it. Just know that I won't be updating as fast as I normally do since I just spontaniously started a new story ("Going Home") so I'd have 2 going at once.**

**Anyway, please give me your ideas for both a title and some idea of a plot. And how far in the future _you_ would like to see the story. Because I want to write something that you guys will like.**

**Thanks for all the reviews, you're all so sweet!**

**-Lisa**


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